Impact of potash mining in streams: The Llobregat basin (northeast Spain) as a case study

Potash mining is significantly increasing the salt concentration of rivers and streams due to lixiviates coming from the mine tailings. In the present study, we have focused on the middle Llobregat basin (northeast Spain), where an important potash mining activity exists from the beginning of the XX century. Up to 50 million tonnes of saline waste have been disposed in the area, mainly composed of sodium chloride. We assessed the ecological status of streams adjacent to the mines by studying different physicochemical and hydromorphological variables, as well as aquatic macroinvertebrates. We found extraordinary high values of salinity in the studied streams, reaching conductivities up to 132.4 mS/cm. Salt-polluted streams were characterized by a deterioration of the riparian vegetation and the fluvial habitat. Both macroinvertebrate richness and abundance decreased with increasing salinity. In the most polluted stream only two families of macroinvertebrates were found: Ephydridae and Ceratopogonidae. According to the biotic indices IBMWP and IMMi-T, none of the sites met the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD; i.e., good ecological status). Overall, we can conclude that potash-mining activities have the potential to cause severe ecological damage to their surrounding streams. This is mainly related to an inadequate management of the mine tailings, leading to highly saline runoff and percolates entering surface waters. Thus, we urge water managers and policy makers to take action to prevent, detect and remediate salt pollution of rivers and streams in potash mining areas. © 2017, Page Press Publications All rights reserved

The Response of Carbon Metabolism and Antioxidant Defenses of Alfalfa Nodules to Drought Stress and to the Subsequent Recovery of Plants12[W][OA]

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) plants were exposed to drought to examine the involvement of carbon metabolism and oxidative stress in the decline of nitrogenase (N2ase) activity. Exposure of plants to a moderate drought (leaf water potential of −1.3 MPa) had no effect on sucrose (Suc) synthase (SS) activity, but caused inhibition of N2ase activity (−43%), accumulation of succinate (+36%) and Suc (+58%), and up-regulation of genes encoding cytosolic CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), plastid FeSOD, cytosolic glutathione reductase, and bacterial MnSOD and catalases B and C. Intensification of stress (−2.1 MPa) decreased N2ase (−82%) and SS (−30%) activities and increased malate (+40%), succinate (+68%), and Suc (+435%). There was also up-regulation (mRNA) of cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase and down-regulation (mRNA) of SS, homoglutathione synthetase, and bacterial catalase A. Drought stress did not affect nifH mRNA level or leghemoglobin expression, but decreased MoFe- and Fe-proteins. Rewatering of plants led to a partial recovery of the activity (75%) and proteins (>64%) of N2ase, a complete recovery of Suc, and a decrease of malate (−48%) relative to control. The increase in O2 diffusion resistance, the decrease in N2ase-linked respiration and N2ase proteins, the accumulation of respiratory substrates and oxidized lipids and proteins, and the up-regulation of antioxidant genes reveal that bacteroids have their respiratory activity impaired and that oxidative stress occurs in nodules under drought conditions prior to any detectable effect on SS or leghemoglobin. We conclude that a limitation in metabolic capacity of bacteroids and oxidative damage of cellular components are contributing factors to the inhibition of N2ase activity in alfalfa nodules

Autologous dendritic cell transplantation as an adjuvant treatment in pleomorphic lung carcinoma

We embarked on autologous dendritic cells (DC) transplantation as an adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy in a pleomorphic lung carcinoma patient. DC were isolated from PBMC and primed with the autologous tumor lysate. No adverse event was noted in DC transplantation. DC administration also correlated with immunomodulation, as evidenced by an approximately 5-fold increase in serum interferon gamma after 2 months. The utility of autologous DC transplantation may offer a clinical benefit with virtually no adverse event