Mass ingestion of gastroliths and other foreign bodies in three juvenile hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) stranded in north-western Iberian Peninsula

We present here three clinical cases involving mass ingestion of foreign bodies in Hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) stranded in north-western Iberian Peninsula. Although the presence of gastroliths is considered to be normal in pinnipeds, the cases presented here highlight how an excessive presence of them as well as other foreign bodies could result in rapid onset of a potentially lethal gastrointestinal stasis syndrome, which has to be quickly resolved, medically or surgically. Ultrasound examinations and posterior X-ray confirmation have demonstrated their utility to a rapid detection of gastric bodies, and have to be taken into account in Hooded seal routine clinical protocols. Finally, we conclude that it is particularly important to avoid the use of loose stones or sand over resting areas and to take extreme precautions with small items near the rehabilitation pools when dealing with this seal species.JM Alonso-Farré and M. Llarena-Reino are currently funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, (Portugal), under post-doctoral fellowship SFRH/BPD/47251/2008, and pre-doctoral grant SFRH/BD/45398/2008, respectively.Peer reviewe

Nota sobre las características estructurales de la zona de "Cueto Negro" (Cordillera Cantábrica)

Se citan algunos datos estructurales respecto a la zona comprendida entre los puertos Pajares y La Cubilla (Cordillera Cantábrica). Se destaca la presencia de una ventana tectónica, en la zona de Cueto negro, relacionada con la unidad cabalgante de Bodón, ampliamente replegada. Estos elementos se integran dentro del haz de estructuras que caracterizan el "arco medio" de la Rodilla Astúrica (Cordillera Cantábrica, España)

The Complexity of Bipartite Gaussian Boson Sampling

Gaussian boson sampling is a model of photonic quantum computing that has attracted attention as a platform for building quantum devices capable of performing tasks that are out of reach for classical devices. There is therefore significant interest, from the perspective of computational complexity theory, in solidifying the mathematical foundation for the hardness of simulating these devices. We show that, under the standard Anti-Concentration and Permanent-of-Gaussians conjectures, there is no efficient classical algorithm to sample from ideal Gaussian boson sampling distributions (even approximately) unless the polynomial hierarchy collapses. The hardness proof holds in the regime where the number of modes scales quadratically with the number of photons, a setting in which hardness was widely believed to hold but that nevertheless had no definitive proof. Crucial to the proof is a new method for programming a Gaussian boson sampling device so that the output probabilities are proportional to the permanents of submatrices of an arbitrary matrix. This technique is a generalization of Scattershot BosonSampling that we call BipartiteGBS. We also make progress towards the goal of proving hardness in the regime where there are fewer than quadratically more modes than photons (i.e., the high-collision regime) by showing that the ability to approximate permanents of matrices with repeated rows/columns confers the ability to approximate permanents of matrices with no repetitions. The reduction suffices to prove that GBS is hard in the constant-collision regime.Comment: 44 pages; v3 - journal versio

Waveguide QED at the onset of spin-spin correlations

We experimentally explore the competition between light-mediated and direct matter-matter interactions in waveguide quantum electrodynamics. For this, we couple a superconducting line to a model magnetic material, made of organic free radical DPPH molecules with a spin $S=1/2$ and a $g_{S}$ factor very close to that of a free electron. The microwave transmission has been measured in a wide range of temperatures ($0.013$ K $\leq T \leq 2$ K), magnetic fields ($0\leq B \leq 0.5$ T) and frequencies ($0 \leq \omega/2 \pi \leq 14$ GHz). We find that molecules belonging to the crystal sublattice B form one-dimensional spin chains. Temperature then controls intrinsic spin correlations along the chain in a continuous and monotonic way. In the paramagnetic region ($T > 0.7$ K), the microwave transmission shows evidences for the collective coupling of quasi-identical spins to the propagating photons, with coupling strengths that reach values close to the dissipation rates. As $T$ decreases, the growth of intrinsic spin correlations, combined with the anisotropy in the spin-spin exchange constants, break down the collective spin-photon coupling. In this regime, the temperature dependence of the spin resonance visibility reflects the change in the nature of the dominant spin excitations, from single spin flips to bosonic magnons, which is brought about by the magnetic correlation growth

Co-delivery of RNAi and Chemokine by Polyarginine Nanocapsules Enables the Modulation of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs), immunosuppressive cells that promote tumor growth, represent an attractive target in cancer immunotherapy. However, the clinical success of this strategy is limited by the lack of efficient drug delivery vehicles targeting this cell compartment. The objective of this work was to develop a delivery carrier, multilayer polymer nanocapsules, with the capacity to co-encapsulate two types of immunomodulatory drugs, a chemokine and an RNAi sequence, aimed at reverting MDSC-mediated immunosuppression. The chemokine CCL2, intended to attract monocyte-macrophage MDSCs, was encapsulated within the L2 inverse micellar aqueous domains of the lipid core of these nanocapsules. On the other hand, two different RNAi sequences that modulate the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPβ) pathway, shC/EBPβ and miR 142-3p, were successfully associated to their polymer shell. These RNAi sequences were covered by subsequent layers of polyarginine and hyaluronic acid, thereby creating multi-layered assemblies that protected them and facilitated their targeted delivery. The in vitro studies performed in primary MDSCs cultures showed the capacity of miR 142-3p-loaded nanocapsules to reduce the highly immunosuppressive monocyte- macrophage subset. Additionally, the encapsulation of CCL2 within the nanocapsules induced a potent monocyte-macrophage chemoattraction that could be used to direct the therapy to these cell subsets. Finally, in vitro and in vivo studies showed the capacity of shC/EBPβ-loaded nanocapsules to downregulate C/EBPβ levels in MDSCs and to reduce monocyte differentiation into tumor-associated macrophages in an MCA-203 fibrosarcoma mice model. In conclusion, the multilayer polymer nanocapsules described here are efficient vehicles for the co-delivery of proteins and RNA, and are potential candidates as nanomedicines for the modulation of MDSCs.This work was supported by LYMPHOTARG (ERA-NET EuroNanoMed ProgramISCIII, ref PS09/02670) and NICHE projects (ERA-NET EuroNanoMed II framework by ISCIII through CIBER- BBN), which received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme. The SAXS measurements were completed on the SAXS/WAXS beamLine at the Australian Synchrotron. A. M. L. was supported by a FPU fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of EducationS

Atherogenic index of plasma is associated with the severity of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: a case-control study

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with several comorbidities and vascular risk factors, such as dyslipidemia. The present study aimed to assess the possible associations between the lipid profile and atherogenic indexes and the severity of HS. Methods: This case-control study enrolled 78 HS patients and 62 healthy controls. Classic lipid profile and lipoprotein ratios, including the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), were evaluated. The severity of HS was measured by the HS Physician Global Assessment (PGA). Results: HS-patients had lower serum total cholesterol and HDL-C levels and higher AIP than the control group. AIP was positively correlated to BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, LDL-C, triglycerides, non-HDL-C, ApoB, HOMA, and hs-CRP and negatively to HDL-C and ApoA1. For the overall lipid profile, only AIP was related to a more severe HS (PGA ? 3) after controlling for age, sex, BMI, insulin resistance (IR), active smoking, and statin use (r = 0.268; p = 0.023). Multiple logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, BMI, IR, smoking status and statin use, showed that AIP ? 0.11 was significantly associated with the severity of HS (OR, 4.38; CI 95%, 1.09-17.50; p = 0.037). Conclusions: In conclusion, these results showed that AIP is significantly and independently associated with HS severity

Association of retinol binding protein4 (RBP4) and ghrelin plasma levels with insulin resistance and disease severity in non-diabetic patients with hidradenitis suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with insulin resistance (IR). Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) and ghrelin are two bioactive proteins that have been involved in glucose metabolism and IR, but also in the regulation of immune and inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of RBP4 and ghrelin in patients with HS, and to assess the possible relationship between these levels and IR, disease severity and HS risk. A total of 137 subjects (77 HS patients and 60 controls) without diabetes mellitus were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Patients with HS had significantly higher RBP4 but lower ghrelin plasma levels than controls, independently of body mass index (BMI). Serum RBP4 levels were positively correlated to disease severity and IR in HS patients. However, we found no association between ghrelin levels and any clinical or laboratory parameters. Moreover, high serum RBP4 and low ghrelin levels were associated with an increased risk for HS. Our results suggest that high RBP4 levels may be a surrogate biomarker for IR in patients with HS. Moreover, increased RBP4 and decreased ghrelin levels could also be independent risk factors for the development of HS

Association of Human Leukocyte Antigens Class II Variants with Susceptibility to Hidradenitis Suppurativa in a Caucasian Spanish Population

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disease of the hair follicle typically presenting recurrent, painful, and inflamed lesions on the inverse areas of the body. Although its pathogenesis remains unknown, the immune system appears to play a potential role. To date, two previous studies have not found any association between the Human Leukocyte Antigen system (HLA) and HS. In this study we analyzed the HLA-A, -B, -C; and DRB1, -DQA1, and ?DQB1 allele distribution in 106 HS patients and 262 healthy controls from a Caucasian population in Cantabria (northern Spain). HLA-A*29 and B*50 were significantly more common in HS patients and A*30 and B*37 in controls, but these associations disappeared after statistical correction. DRB1*07, DQA1*02, and DQB1*02 were significantly more common in controls (p 0.026, p 0.0012, and p 0.0005, respectively) and the HLA allele DQB1*03:01 was significantly more common in HS patients (p 0.00007) after the Bonferroni correction. The DRB1*07~DQA1*02~DQB1*02 haplotype was significantly more common in controls (p < 0.0005). This is the first study showing an association between HLA-class II and HS. Our results suggest that HLA-II alleles (DRB1*07, DQA1*02, DQB1*02, and DQB1*03:01) and the DRB1*07~DQA1*02~DQB1*02 haplotype could influence resistance or susceptibility to HS