Phenotypic evolution in microalgae: a dramatic morphological shift in Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (Chlorophyta) after exposure to TNT

Phenotypic evolution in microalgae: a dramatic morphological shift in Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (Chlorophyta) after exposure to TNT. The occurrence of rapid morphological evolution in the microalga Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (Chlorophyta) was induced after exposure of the wild strains of the alga to the potent algal poison 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). After exposing a wildtype population (consisted of representative spherical-ellipsoidal cells) to doses of TNT that were lethal for most of the cells, a TNT-resistant spindle-shaped mutant was able to proliferate. This spindleshaped mutant appeared spontaneously by rare mutations before the selective treatment: in deed, it was already present in the wild population. The frequency of the mutants within the ancestral population seemed to be determined by the balance between the rate of accumulation by recurrent mutation and the rate of elimination by selection (ranging 10-102 spindle-shaped mutants per 106 cells). We hypothesize that clone selection could take place in asexual populations of microalgae by selection of rare, pre-selective genotypes, driven by a drastic selective pressure subsequent to a catastrophic environmental changeEvolucion fenotípica en microalgas: un cambio morfológico espectacular en Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (Chlorophyta) tras la exposición a TNT. Un cambio morfológico muy rápido tiene lugar en Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (Chlorophyta) tras la exposición de cepas salvajes al potente alguicida 2,4,6 trinitrotolueno (TNT). Las cepas salvajes, sensibles al TNT, tienen una morfología típica esférico-elipsoidal. Tras exponer dichas cepas a dosis letales de TNT, solamente sobreviven células resistentes al tóxico cuya silueta es fusiforme. Estos resistentes fusiformes aparecen como consecuencia de mutaciones espontáneas que tienen lugar antes de exponer las cepas salvajes al agente selectivo (TNT): es decir, las células fusiformes estaban presentes en la población salvaje. La frecuencia de mutantes fusiformes en las poblaciones salvajes está definida por el equilibrio entre la tasa de acumulación de mutantes y la tasa en que son eliminados por tener una eficiencia biológica menor (10-102 mutantes fusiformes por 106 células salvajes). Se propone que la selección de clones podría ser un mecanismo de evolución adaptativa en poblaciones de microalgas asexuales. Este evento opera mediante la selección de genotipos pre-selectivos que aparecen como consecuencia del incremento de la presión de selección como fruto de eventos catastróficos en el medio ambient

Analysis of the role of Granzyme-A in the development of colorectal cancer stem cells

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide with nearly 150.000 new cases diagnose annually. New therapies have been developed for the last years targeting different proliferation and survival signalling pathways but few advances have been done to avoid relapse in patients. Cancer stem cells are proposed as the main mechanism of resistance in current therapies. These cells have been described as a subset among all the tumour cell populations which have stemness properties such as self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. These features allow them to survive after antitumour treatments and regenerate the entire tumour mass. Also, cancer stem cells have been proposed as the responsible of metastasis. Inflammation in colorectal cancer is a sign of poor prognosis and it has been proposed as the main driver of the tumour progression. Its relation with cancer stem cells has not been clasified yet but pro-inflammatory molecules such as TNF-α or IL-1B are able to activate cancer stem cells-related signalling pathways such as Wnt or Notch pathways. Granzyme-A, a protease released by immune cells, is involved in implication during like bacterial sepsis or arthritis. Our preliminary data indicate it is involved in development of colorectal cancer. The current study analyse the implication of Granzyme-A in the activation of CSCs during inflammation-associated colorectal cancer in a mouse model

La transfixión percutánea cúbito-carpiana en las fracturas inestables de la extremidad distal del radio

Se expone una alternativa terapéutica para las fracturas inestables de la extremidad distal del radio, consistente en estabilizar la reducción mediante una aguja de Kirschner que atravesando oblícuamente la extremidad distal del cúbito se ancla en el carpo. Se precisan los detalles de la técnica que, en una valoración inicial sobre más de cien casos, aporta resultados constantemente satisfactorios. Se hace énfasis en la sencillez del procedimiento, que al propiciar una ejecución muy rápida, cobra ventaja frente a otras modalidades (fijador externo, osteosíntesis abierta, etc.) y especialmente ante traumatismos asociados del mismo miembro.A therapeutic alternative for the unstable fractures of the distal extremity of the radius is presented. The technique consists in stabilizing the fracture reduction by means of one Kirschner's wire that crosses obliquely the distal extremity of the ulnar and anchors in the carpus. The details of this technique are described. This technique has constantly provided satisfactory results in an initial evaluation on more than one hundred cases. Emphasis is made upon the simplicity of the procedure which surpasses other technical procedures (external fixation, open osteosynthesis, etc.) due to the fact that it propitiates a quicker execution, and it surpasses other technical procedures specially with associated injuries in the same limb

Microalgae biosensors for the detection of environmental contaminants: a review

Biosensores microalgales para la detección de contaminantes ambientales: una revisiónMicroalgae biosensors for the detection of environmental contaminants: a revie

Standardized CPUE Indices for Greenland Halibut in NAFO Divisions 3LMNO Based on Spanish Commercial Catch Rates

Standardized CPUE series using a Generalized Linear Model for Greenland halibut in Div. 3LMNO, based on catch and effort data from the Spanish trawl fleet since 1991 are presented. Fixed factors considered in the model were: year, month, vessel, Division and depth and the interactions analysed were: Division – depth and month – Division. All the factors and interactions analyzed are significant. The total proportion of variance explained by this model was 40%. The results indicate a decrease trend in the catch rate index in recent years from highest values in 2000

Psychometric evaluation and validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale for the Spanish-speaking population:PSAS-ES

ObjectiveThe transition to motherhood is a period of risk for the development of mood disorders. Postpartum anxiety has not been as thoroughly studied as other emotional disorders despite its impact on mothers and their babies. The absence of standardized programmes for early detection and specific tools for its diagnosis means postpartum anxiety is often underestimated or overshadowed. This study aimed to translate and validate the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale [PSAS] for the Spanish population and to analyse its reliability as an exploratory tool for specific anxiety in mothers.MethodFour stages were followed in this research: translation and back-translation to obtain the Spanish version [PSAS-ES]; preliminary pilot study to explore the comprehensibility and ease of responding the items (n = 53); convergent validity analyses (n = 644); and test-retest reliability (n = 234).ResultsThe PSAS-ES has shown to have good acceptability, convergent validity and high internal consistency with a Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.93 for the overall scale of PSAS. The four factors had good reliability. The results of test-retest was 0.86, indicating excellent stability over time in the first 16 weeks.ConclusionThe psychometric results show that the PSAS-ES is a valid tool to explore and detect anxiety in Spanish mothers between 0 and 16 weeks postpartum

Approaching mercury distribution in burial environment using PLS‑R modelling

Present research was funded by Estudo de esqueletos humanos e de secuencias edafosedimentarias do xacemento de A Lanzada (2017-CP035) funded by Deputación Provincial de Pontevedra. It was supported by the project Fomentar a actividade investigadora do persoal investigador finalista nas convocatorias de axudas da ERC do H2020 by GAIN (2021-CP052). We thank Deputación de Pontevedra, Museum of Pontevedra and the Dirección Xeral de Patrimonio da Xunta de Galicia for providing access to the archaeological soil samples. Special thanks go to the director or archaeological campaign Rafael Rodríguez Martinez for his support in all studies related to A Lanzada. Thanks to the Ecoloxicoloxía e Ecofisioloxía Vexetal research group and Jesús Aboal as well as to RIAIDT for providing access to equipment facilities. This project is funded by Grupos de Referencia Competitiva (ED431C 2021/32) by Xunta de Galicia. Authors would like to thank the use of RIAIDT-USC analytical facilities. OLC is funded by JIN project (PID2019-111683RJ-I00) Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion and Beca Leonardo a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales 2020 (2020-PO048) de la Fundación BBVA. NAF and ZGL are funded by the project Fomentar a actividade investigadora do persoal investigador finalista nas convocatorias de axudas da ERC do H2020 by GAIN (2021-CP052).Mercury environmental cycle and toxicology have been widely researched. Given the long history of mercury pollution, researching mercury trends in the past can help to understand its behaviour in the present. Archaeological skeletons have been found to be useful sources of information regarding mercury loads in the past. In our study we applied a soil multi-sampling approach in two burials dated to the 5th to 6th centuries AD. PLRS modelling was used to elucidate the factors controlling mercury distribution. The model explains 72% of mercury variance and suggests that mercury accumulation in the burial soils is the result of complex interactions. The decomposition of the bodies not only was the primary source of mercury to the soil but also responsible for the pedogenetic transformation of the sediments and the formation of soil components with the ability to retain mercury. The amount of soft tissues and bone mass also resulted in differences between burials, indicating that the skeletons were a primary/secondary source of mercury to the soil (i.e. temporary sink). Within burial variability seems to depend on the proximity of the soil to the thoracic area, where the main mercury target organs were located. We also conclude that, in coarse textured soils, as the ones studied in this investigation, the finer fraction (i.e. silt + clay) should be analysed, as it is the most reactive and the one with the higher potential to provide information on metal cycling and incipient soil processes. Finally, our study stresses the need to characterise the burial soil environment in order to fully understand the role of the interactions between soil and skeleton in mercury cycling in burial contexts.Deputación Provincial de PontevedraERC do H2020Estudo de esqueletos humanos e de secuencias edafosedimentarias do xacemento de A Lanzada 2017-CP035JIN PID2019-111683RJ-I00Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion 2020-PO048Fundación BBVAAxencia Galega de Innovación 2021-CP052, ED431C 2021/32Xunta de Galici

New data, new possibilities: Exploring the insides of Altmetric.com

This paper analyzes Altmetric.com, one of the most important altmetric data providers currently used. We have analyzed a set of publications with doi number indexed in the Web of Science during the period 2011-2013 and collected their data with the Altmetric API. 19% of the original set of papers was retrieved from Altmetric.com including some altmetric data. We identified 16 different social media sources from which Altmetric.com retrieves data. However five of them cover 95.5% of the total set. Twitter (87.1%) and Mendeley (64.8%) have the highest coverage. We conclude that Altmetric.com is a transparent, rich and accurate tool for altmetric data. Nevertheless, there are still potential limitations on its exhaustiveness as well as on the selection of social media sources that need further research

Organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst assemblages in surface sediments of the Ría de Vigo (Atlantic margin of NW Iberia) in relation to environmental gradients

Organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst assemblages were analysed in 31 surface sediment samples from the Ría de Vigo (NW Iberia) to obtain supporting evidence for the interpretation of past environmental signals from sediment cores. Complementarily, the totals of pollen (and pollen from riparian taxa), foraminiferal linings and freshwater algae were also considered to test their value as (palaeo)environmental indicators in fluvio-marine sedimentary environments. Abundances of foraminiferal linings gradually increased towards the ría's mouth, which supports its use as a proxy to infer the degree of marine influence in the sediment record. The ratio of dinoflagellate cysts to pollen and spores (D/P) increased with distance to the main river's mouth (and water depth) in the inner ( 20 m) parts of the ría. Total pollen concentrations decreased with water depth in the outer part but did not show any clear trend in the rest of the ría. No clear pattern in the distributions of pollen from riparian plants and spores from freshwater microalgae was detected. Multivariate analyses (clustering and RDA) performed on dinoflagellate cyst records and environmental data reflected a marked inshore-offshore distribution pattern mainly controlled by a fluvio-marine environmental gradient. Increasing abundances of cysts of Gymnodinium species and heterotrophic cysts as well as higher cyst diversity characterised the deeper environments of the outer ría. These observations suggest a relationship with increased shelf influence and are compatible with the heterotroph upwelling signal described in previous works. A very different cyst association with a predominance of autotrophic cysts characterised the intermediate and inner parts of ría, where exceptionally high cyst abundances of Lingulodinium polyedra (∼ 56–99% and ∼ 200–114,000 cysts.g−1) were reported. Abundances of cysts of L. polyedra positively correlated with shallower and higher river-influenced environments characterised by higher sea-surface temperature. Our results agree with previous studies and reinforce the value of this species as an indicator of warmer and stratified conditions. Moreover, cysts of L. polyedra positively correlated with winter sea-surface nitrate contents, which is compatible with the nutrient enrichment signal (natural or anthropogenic) that has already been described in other deep and stratified estuarine environments and is consistent with historical cyst records obtained in the Ría de Vigo. However, further research is needed to disentangle the nutrient enrichment signal from the influence of other environmental factors.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia | Ref. CGL2012-33584Xunta de Galicia | Ref. GRC 2015/020Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2019/28Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B-2019-074Universidade de Vigo/CISU

The drag phenomenon: a comparative in between the society perception and how the Drag Queens see themselves

[Resumen] El fenómeno drag cada vez se está haciendo más conocido, por lo que es de especial interés analizar experiencias vitales de las Drag Queens y describir la percepción social acerca del drag. Esta investigación es exploratoria y descriptiva, ya que no existen muchos estudios sobre el tema. Para responder a los objetivos se siguió una metodología mixta de nueve entrevistas a Drag Queens y dos encuestas para analizar la opinión social, una al alumnado de la Universidad de A Coruña y otra a nivel nacional en las 17 comunidades autónomas. Gracias a esto sabemos que existen problemáticas socioeconómicas que hacen que las drags no puedan desarrollarse profesionalmente como les gustaría y que en el panorama actual se les dificulta tener una vida alejada de la precariedad.[Resumo] O fenómeno drag é cada vez máis coñecido, polo que resulta de especial interese analizar as experiencias vitais das Drag Queens e describir a percepción social acerca do drag, ademáis de expor unha comparativa entre o alumnado da UDC e o resto de España. Esta investigación é exploratoria e descritiva, xa que non hai moitos estudos sobre o tema. Para dar resposta aos obxectivos, seguiuse unha metodoloxía mixta de nove entrevistas a Drag Queens e dúas enquisas para analizar a opinión social, unha ao alumnado da Universidade da Coruña e outra a nivel nacional nas 17 comunidades autónomas. Grazas a isto, sabemos que existen problemas socioeconómicos que impiden que as drags poidan desenvolverse profesionalmente como lles gustaría e que no escenario actual cústalles ter unha vida lonxe da precariedade.[Abstract] The drag phenomenon is becoming more and more known, so it is of special interest to analyze Drag Queen’s life experiences and describe the social perception about drag. In addition to expose a comparative between UDC’s students and the rest of Spain. This research is exploratory and descriptive, since there are not many studies on the subject. To answer to the objectives a mixed methodology has been used. This has been based on nine interviews with Drag Queens and two surveys to analyze social opinion, one to the UDC’s students and another national in the 17 CC.AA. In agreement with this research, we now know that there are still socioeconomic problems that prevent drag queens from being able to develop a professional career and that, in the current scenario, it is difficult for them to have a life away from precariousness.Traballo fin de grao (UDC.SOC). Socioloxía. Curso 2021/202