Debats socio-científics al voltant dels processos d’extracció i emmagatzematge d’hidrocarburs

Aquesta tardor els diaris, tertúlies radiofòniques i programes informatius de televisió han anat plens de notícies relacionades amb els terratrèmols que van tenir lloc a la costa de Castelló i de les Terres de l’Ebre. Al mateix temps, eren notícia també diversos moviments i protestes promogudes per plataformes arreu del territori espanyol en oposició a la tècni-ca de la fractura hidràulica o “fracking”, la qual de vegades, per confusió, s’associa a la causa de l’activitat sísmica detectada recentment a Castelló. En aquest article descriurem breument aquesta tècnica extractiva així com el procés que va desencadenar els terra-trèmols, i exposarem també alguns arguments i opinions que s’han manifestat en contra d’aquests tipus d’intervencions

Debats socio-científics al voltant dels processos d'extracció i emmagatzematge d'hidrocarburs

Aquesta tardor els diaris, tertúlies radiofòniques i programes informatius de televisió han anat plens de notícies relacionades amb els terratrèmols que van tenir lloc a la costa de Castelló i de les Terres de l'Ebre. Al mateix temps, eren notícia també diversos moviments i protestes promogudes per plataformes arreu del territori espanyol en oposició a la tècni-ca de la fractura hidràulica o "fracking", la qual de vegades, per confusió, s'associa a la causa de l'activitat sísmica detectada recentment a Castelló. En aquest article descriurem breument aquesta tècnica extractiva així com el procés que va desencadenar els terra-trèmols, i exposarem també alguns arguments i opinions que s'han manifestat en contra d'aquests tipus d'intervencions

Influencia de la invasión de carpa en la comunidad de zooplancton en la Laguna Medina, un lago somero Mediterráneo

The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a highly invasive species and an ecological engineer. It has been repeatedly shown to increase nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton biomass while destroying submerged macrophytes, although there are few studies from the Mediterranean region. We studied its impact on the zooplankton community in Laguna de Medina lake, a shallow lake in Jerez de la Frontera, south-west Spain. Carp were removed with rotenone in 2007 but returned in 2010-2011. We compared zooplankton sampled monthly from 8 points from May to December in 2008 (without carp) and 2012 (with carp). Extensive macrophyte beds present in 2008 were absent in 2012. As expected, chlorophyll-a concentrations, turbidity, total suspended solids and total phosphorus were much higher in 2012. Zooplankton richness decreased from 21 taxa in 2008 to 8 taxa in 2012, accompanied by a decrease in Shannon-Wiener diversity, an increase in Evenness and a change in size distribution with loss of larger taxa. In 2008, the crustaceans were dominated by the macrocladocerans Daphnia magna and Moina brachiata and the large calanoid copepod Arctodiaptomus salinus. In 2012, these three taxa were completely absent and the zooplankton was dominated by the alien cyclopoid Acanthocyclops americanus and the rotifers Brachionus plicatilis and Keratella quadrata. Our results confirm the disappearance of macrocladocera reported by others in mesocosm experiments with carp, and suggest that alien carp facilitate the spread of the alien copepod A. americanus[ES] La carpa común (Cyprinus carpio) es una especie altamente invasora y actúa como un ingeniero ecológico en el ecosistema. Se ha demostrado en repetidas ocasiones que aumenta las concentraciones de nutrientes y biomasa del fitoplancton mientras destruye macrófitas sumergidas, aunque hay pocos estudios de la región mediterránea. En este estudio se investigó el impacto de la carpa sobre la comunidad de zooplancton en Laguna de Medina, un lago somero de Jerez de la Frontera, suroeste de España. Las carpas fueron retiradas con rotenona en 2007, pero regresaron en 2010-2011. Se comparó el zooplancton muestreado mensualmente en 8 puntos de mayo a diciembre de 2008 (sin presencia de carpas) y en 2012 (con carpas). Superficies extensivas de macrófitas presentes en 2008 no fueron observadas en 2012. Como era esperado, la concentración de clorofila, turbiedad, sólidos suspendidos totales y el fósforo total fueron mucho más altos en 2012. La riqueza de zooplancton disminuyó de 21 taxones en 2008 a 8 taxones en 2012, acompañado por una disminución en el índice de diversidad de Shannon-Wiener, un aumento en la uniformidad y un cambio en la distribución de tamaños con la pérdida de los taxones de mayor tamaño. En 2008, los crustáceos estaban dominados por los macrocladoceros Daphnia magna y Moina brachiata y el gran copépodo calanoide Arctodiaptomus salinus. En 2012, estos tres taxones estaban completamente ausentes y la comunidad estuvo dominada por los aciclopoides invasores Acanthocyclops americanus y los rotíferos Brachionus plicatilis y Keratella quadrata. Nuestros resultados confirman la desaparición de macrocladoceros reportados por otros autores en experimentos de mesocosmos con carpas, y sugieren que la carpa invasora facilita la propagación del copépodo invasor A. americanusPeer reviewe

El archivo fotográfico en la Unidad de Tratamiento Archivístico y Documentación (UTAD) del Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales del CSIC

This paper is about the history of the Photographic Archives of the Center of the Humanities and Social Sciences, in the CSIC, from its origins as the Center for Historical Studies to nowadays, brought about the unification of the institutes forming the CCHS and the convergence of different databases. We aim to highlight the value of photography as an information source for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and give a reflection of the History of Photography as well as of various photographic processes, becoming also a cultural and scientific heritage

ILK mediates LPS-induced vascular adhesion receptor expression and subsequent leucocyte trans-endothelial migration†

Aims The inflammatory response to injurious agents is tightly regulated to avoid adverse consequences of inappropriate leucocyte accumulation or failed resolution. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated endothelium recruits leucocytes to the inflamed tissue through controlled expression of membrane-associated adhesion molecules. LPS responses in macrophages are known to be regulated by integrin-linked kinase (ILK); in this study, we investigated the role of ILK in the regulation of the LPS-elicited inflammatory response in endothelium. Methods and results This study was performed on immortalized mouse endothelial cells (EC) isolated from lung and coronary vasculature. Cells were thoroughly characterized and the role of ILK in the regulation of the LPS response was investigated by suppressing ILK expression using siRNA and shRNA technologies. Phenotypic and functional analyses confirmed that the immortalized cells behaved as true EC. LPS induced the expression of the inflammatory genes E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). ILK knockdown impaired LPS-mediated endothelial activation by preventing the induction of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Blockade of the LPS-induced response inhibited the inflammatory-related processes of firm adhesion and trans-endothelial migration of leucocytes. Conclusion ILK is involved in the expression of cell adhesion molecules by EC activated with the inflammatory stimulus LPS. This reduced expression modulates leucocyte adhesion to the endothelium and the extravasation process. This finding suggests ILK as a potential anti-inflammatory target for the development of vascular-specific treatments for inflammation-related disease

Análisis de la posible citotoxicidad asociada a las nanopartículas de selenio mediante herramientas de Proteómica cuantitativa

Comunicaciones a congreso

Development and validation of a high performance liquid chromatography method to determine linezolid concentrations in pig pulmonary tissue

Background: linezolid is the first synthetic compound of a new group of antimicrobials, the oxazolidinones, which inhibit protein synthesis. It shows a broad spectrum of activity against Gram positive organisms. With respect to its pharmacokinetics, linezolid shows a relatively high volume of distribution and good penetration into inflammatory fluids, bone, fat and muscle. Methods: a reversed-phase isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method for linezolid analysis in piglet pulmonary tissue is described. Tissue samples and controls were prepared in 1 x TBE (1 M Tris, 0.9 M boric acid, 0.01 M EDTA). The mobile phase consisted of 20% ultrafiltered water and 80% of (A) 15 mM potassium monohydrogen phosphate buffer (pH = 5) with (B) acetonitrile (80%/20%; v/v). Samples were homogenized and precipitated with HClO(4) 3% (1/1, v/v). The injection volume was 100 microL. Ofloxacin was used as an internal standard. Results: the assay was linear over a linezolid concentration range: 1.6-100 microg/mL. The method provided good validation data (n = 15): inaccuracy (3.6%), intra and inter-day variability (4.2% and 5.2%, respectively), recovery (91.8%), limit of detection (0.8 microg/mL) and quantitation (1.6 microg/mL) and acceptable stability within 24 h in the auto-sampler. Conclusions: the method offers a fast and simple approach to determine linezolid in pulmonary tissue which could be of use in pharmacokinetic studies

Adipose tissue as a therapeutic target for vascular damage in Alzheimer's disease

Adipose tissue has recently been recognized as an important endocrine organ that plays a crucial role in energy metabolism and in the immune response in many metabolic tissues. With this regard, emerging evidence indicates that an important crosstalk exists between the adipose tissue and the brain. However, the contribution of adipose tissue to the development of age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, remains poorly defined. New studies suggest that the adipose tissue modulates brain function through a range of endogenous biologically active factors known as adipokines, which can cross the blood–brain barrier to reach the target areas in the brain or to regulate the function of the blood–brain barrier. In this review, we discuss the effects of several adipokines on the physiology of the blood–brain barrier, their contribution to the development of Alzheimer's disease and their therapeutic potential.Funding for open access charge; Universidad de Málaga / CBU