Scope for growth and dietary needs of Mediteranean Pinnids maintained in captivity

Abstract Background: The measurement of the energy available for growth (scope of growth, SFG) can be used in bivalves to make a long-term prediction in a short-term experiment of the condition of the individual. In order to tackle the best conditions for captive maintenance of Mediterranean Pinnids, a SFG study was conducted using Pinna rudis as a model species. Three diets were examined to test the viability of live microalgae and commercial products: i) a control diet using 100% of live microalgae based on the species Isochrysis galbana (t-ISO), ii) a 100% of commercial microalgae diet based on the product Shellfish Diet 1800®, and iii) a 50/50% mix diet of I. galbana (t-ISO) and Shellfish Diet 1800®. Results: SFG results showed significant differences among diets in the physiological functions measured and suggested lower acceptability and digestibility of the commercial product. Negative SFG values were obtained for the commercial diet which indicates that it should be rejected for both Pinnid maintenance. The mixed diet showed improved physiological performance compared to the commercial diet, resulting in a higher SFG that had no significant differences with the control diet. However, in the long-term, the lower digestibility of the mixed diet compared to the control diet could lead to a deterioration of individuals’ conditions and should be considered cautiously. Conclusions: This work represents the first case study of SFG in Pinna spp. and provides fundamental data on dietary needs for the critically endangered species, P. nobilis.En prens

Guía de buenas prácticas de poda de la vid

Esta es una guía gráfica e interactiva de buenas prácticas de poda de la vid, en la que se explica mediante vídeos sencillos y de fácil seguimiento cómo cumplir los criterios fundamentales que se deben seguir a la hora de realizar la poda del viñedo para no comprometer la longevidad de la planta. La Guía se centra en los sistemas de conducción vaso, Cordón Royat y Guyot porque son los más habituales, pero gran parte de lo descrito es válido para todos los sistemas de conducción ya que los principios fundamentales de la poda deben respetarse independientemente del sistema de poda. La Guía ha sido elaborada en el marco del proyecto Vites Qualitas (EFA 324/19) SOSTENIBILIDAD Y COMPETITIVIDAD DE LA VITICULTURA EN EL TERRITORIO POCTEFAEl proyecto ha sido cofinanciado al 65% por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) a través del Programa Interreg V-A España-Francia-Andorra (POCTEFA 2014- 2020

Aula itinerante de Patrimonio Cultural II

Memoria final del PIMCD UCM 2020/2021 número 31

Reproduction of the endangered fan mussel Pinna nobilis under natural and captivity conditions

1. A mass mortality event that started in 2016 has put the fan mussel Pinna nobilis close to the brink of extinction, leading to the species being classified as Critically Endangered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Under current circumstances, with the persistence of the disease caused by Haplosporidium pinnae in the open sea, isolated populations in coastal lagoons and estuarine bays appear to be the main chance for the survival of the species. 2. The low resilience of those populations highlights the importance of implementing additional measures to avoid the extinction of the fan mussel. One of these measures relies on completing its reproductive cycle in captivity. The reproductive window of the remaining fan mussel population in Alfacs Bay was explored to obtain gametes and to understand possible limitations in the reproductive activity in wild populations. For this purpose, during the reproductive season, several groups of individuals were relocated for short periods (~2 weeks) into the vivarium to obtain gametes under controlled conditions. Simultaneously, controlled temperature treatments and adapted food dosage for conditioning adult fan mussels out of their reproductive season in the wild were conducted in a recirculating aquaculture system. 3. The reproduction of natural populations was mostly restricted to May, featuring temperatures around 20°C. A low success of spawning was obtained in the vivarium, with a 0% success in 11 out of 20 of the trials (six to nine individuals each) and an overall success of 16% (25 out of 156 individuals). A 100% success (14 out of 14) was obtained with individuals conditioned for ~2 months in the recirculating aquaculture system. A second conditioning of six of those individuals was attempted after a ~3-month period, with a 33.3% success of spawning.We would like to thank the local government ‘Generalitat de Catalunya’ for all the permissions for the manipulation of individuals granted through the ‘Servei de Fauna i Flora’ and the Natural Park of the Ebro Delta. We would also like to thank the support of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through ‘Fundación Biodiversidad’ for supporting the work with PinnaSpat project, 2019 call for proposals. Some additional field campaigns in the Ebro Delta were also supported by the RecuperaPinna project, also funded through the ‘Fundación Biodiversidad’ in the 2020 call for proposals and EsMarEs (Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica, Spanish Government).info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Physiological responses of the fan mussel Pinna nobilis to temperature: ecological and captivity implications

The fan mussel Pinna nobilis is experiencing a mass mortality event throughout the Mediterranean Sea. The survival of the remaining isolated populations and the maintenance and reproduction of individuals in captivity could determine the future of the species. This paper examines the clearance rate (CR) and oxygen consumption (VO) of fan mussel individuals measured under 5 different temperatures (8.5, 14, 18, 23 and 28ºC). The measurements of both physiological variables revealed a threshold limit of thermal tolerance at both extreme temperatures, indicating the critical situation of the remaining populations, which are located in coastal lagoons and shallow bays where these extreme temperatures usually occur. Besides, the high clearance rates observed highlight the significant ecosystem service provided by the species in terms of water filtration, especially in confined waters with low renewal rates. Routine control of the clearance rate as an early warning system is proposed for detecting ailing individuals. Such a system could also be used to improve captivity conditions.The authors wish to thank the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through “Fundación Biodiversidad” for supporting a part of the work performed within the context of the PinnaSpat project, 2019 call for proposals. This research was carried out under the LIFE IP INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge; and EsMarEs (Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica, Spanish Government). It receives financial support from the European Union´s LIFE program (LIFE15 IPE ES 012) and LIFE PINNARCA project (LIFE20-NAT/ ES/001265). The authors are also grateful to the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge for supporting the Recupera Pinna project, 2020 call for proposals. P. Prado was contracted under the INIA-CCAA cooperative research program for postdoctoral incorporation from the Spanish National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA)

Down Syndrome—Basque Alzheimer Initiative (DS-BAI): Clinic-Biological Cohort

Background: Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetically determined intellectual disability. In recent decades, it has experienced an exponential increase in life expectancy, leading to a rise in age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Specific health plans for the comprehensive care of the DS community are an unmet need, which is crucial for the early and accurate diagnosis of main medical comorbidities. We present the protocol of a newly created clinical and research cohort and its feasibility in real life. Methods: The Down Syndrome—Basque Alzheimer Initiative (DS-BAI) is a population-based, inclusive, multidisciplinary initiative for the clinical-assistance and clinical-biological research approach to aging in DS led by the CITA-Alzheimer Foundation (Donostia, Basque Country). It aims to achieve the following: (1) provide comprehensive care for adults with DS, (2) optimize access to rigorous and quality training for socio-family and healthcare references, and (3) create a valuable multimodal clinical-biological research platform. Results: During the first year, 114 adults with DS joined the initiative, with 36% of them showing symptoms indicative of AD. Furthermore, adherence to training programs for healthcare professionals and families has been high, and the willingness to collaborate in basic and translational research has been encouraging. Conclusion: Specific health plans for DS and conducting clinical and translational research on the challenges of aging, including AD, are necessary and feasible

Central regulation of brown fat thermogenesis in response to saturated or unsaturated long-chain fatty acids

Sensing of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) in the hypothalamus modulates energy balance, and its disruption leads to obesity. To date, the effects of saturated or unsaturated LCFA on hypothalamic-brown adipose tissue (BAT) axis and the underlying mechanisms have remained largely unclear. Our aim was to characterize the main molecular pathways involved in the hypothalamic regulation of BAT thermogenesis in response to LCFA with different lengths and degrees of saturation. One-week administration of high-fat diet enriched in monounsaturated FA led to higher BAT thermogenesis compared to a saturated FA-enriched diet. Intracerebroventricular infusion of oleic and linoleic acids upregulated thermogenesis markers and temperature in brown fat of mice, and triggered neuronal activation of paraventricular (PaV), ventromedial (VMH) and arcuate (ARC) hypothalamic nuclei, which was not found with saturated FAs. The neuron-specific protein carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1-C (CPT1C) was a crucial effector of oleic acid since the FA action was blunted in CPT1C-KO mice. Moreover, changes in the AMPK/ACC/malonyl-CoA pathway and fatty acid synthase expression were evoked by oleic acid. Altogether, central infusion of unsaturated but not saturated LCFA increases BAT thermogenesis through CPT1C-mediated sensing of FA metabolism shift, which in turn drive melanocortin system activation. These findings add new insight into neuronal circuitries activated by LCFA to drive thermogenesis. Keywords: long-chain fatty acids; hypothalamus; thermogenesis; brown adipose tissue; CPT1C; obesit

Can we save a marine species affected by a highly infective, highly lethal, waterborne disease from extinction?

Anthropogenic drivers and global warming are altering the occurrence of infectious marine diseases, some of which produce mass mortalities with considerable ecosystemic and economic costs. The Mediterranean Sea is considered a laboratory to examine global processes, and the fan mussel Pinna nobilis a sentinel species within it. Since September 2016, fan mussels suffer a die-off, very likely provoked by the protozoan Haplosporidium pinnae. Population dynamic surveys, rescue programmes, larvae collector installation and protection of infected adults from predators, have increased knowledge about the factors conditioning the spread of the die-off; previous model simulations indicate that water temperature and salinity seem to be related to the manifestation of the disease, which at the end are strongly influenced by climate change and anthropogenic actions. The absence of natural recruitment implies that fan mussel populations are not recovering, but the survival of populations living in paralic environments provides an opportunity to study the disease and its conditioning factors. The fan mussel disease outbreak provides a case example for how climate change may mediate host-protozoan dynamics and poses several questions: are we witnessing the potential extinction of a sentinel species? Can we avoid it by applying active measures? If so, which measures will be more effective? How many other more overlooked species might experience a massive and unnoticed die-off before it is too late to implement any preservation action? This is especially relevant because the loss of keystone species can drive to community effects that influence marine ecosystem processes

Unlocking Preclinical Alzheimer’s: A Multi-Year Label-Free In Vitro Raman Spectroscopy Study Empowered by Chemometrics

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, the early detection of which is crucial for timely intervention and enrollment in clinical trials. However, the preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s encounters difficulties with gold-standard methods. The current definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s still relies on expensive instrumentation and post-mortem histological examinations. Here, we explore label-free Raman spectroscopy with machine learning as an alternative to preclinical Alzheimer’s diagnosis. A special feature of this study is the inclusion of patient samples from different cohorts, sampled and measured in different years. To develop reliable classification models, partial least squares discriminant analysis in combination with variable selection methods identified discriminative molecules, including nucleic acids, amino acids, proteins, and carbohydrates such as taurine/hypotaurine and guanine, when applied to Raman spectra taken from dried samples of cerebrospinal fluid. The robustness of the model is remarkable, as the discriminative molecules could be identified in different cohorts and years. A unified model notably classifies preclinical Alzheimer’s, which is particularly surprising because of Raman spectroscopy’s high sensitivity regarding different measurement conditions. The presented results demonstrate the capability of Raman spectroscopy to detect preclinical Alzheimer’s disease for the first time and offer invaluable opportunities for future clinical applications and diagnostic methods.This work was funded by the Basque Government (Ref. KK-2022/00001) and supported by grant CEX2020-001038-M funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033