Las asociaciones de microfauna como indicadores de cambios paleoambientales en los ciclos fluvio-lacustres Miocenos (NE de la Cuenca del Duero, España)

The siliclastic and carbonate deposits are interbedded in the Villadiego area (Miocene, NE Duero Basin). They have been subdivided into two high-rank depositional sequences: DDS and CDS. The sedimentary analysis of these units and the study of the microfauna content, mainly ostracods, led to the identification of lacustrine-fluvial interaction systems. The sedimentary characteristics reveal the existence of fluvial systems of gravel, flood plains and lacustrine systems that were interconnected and intimately related in north-south direction. In the sedimentological analysis, thirteen types of fluvial and lacustrine lithofacies and six genetic facies associations were recognized. The top of DDS is the result of lake level risings. The CDS shows a deepening-shallowing cycle. The ostracod micropaleontological analysis of the sediments have been studied, with the aim of reconstructing the palaeoenvironmental evolution of this area. These microfauna assemblages integrated with the analysis of the sedimentary facies allowed to conclude the existence of lakes with a water-bearing level of few tens of meters. A change in the chemical conditions of the waters, which evolved from oligohaline and carbonated to mesohaline and sulphated is concluded.Los depósitos siliciclásticos y carbonatados se encuentran intercalados en el área de Villadiego (Mioceno, NE cuenca del Duero). Se han subdividido en dos secuencias de depósito de alto rango: DDS y CDS. El análisis de estas unidades sedimentarias y el estudio del contenido de microfauna, principalmente ostrácodos, condujo a la identificación de sistemas de interacción lacustre-fluvial. Las características sedimentarias revelan la existencia de los sistemas fluviales de grava, llanuras de inundación y sistemas lacustres que estaban interconectados e íntimamente relacionados en dirección N-S. En el análisis sedimentológico se reconocieron trece tipos de litofacies fluviales y lacustres y seis asociaciones de facies genéticas. La parte superior del DDS es el resultado de levantamientos del nivel del lago. El CDS muestra un ciclo de profundización-somerización. Los sedimentos se han estudiado mediatne análisis micropaleontológico de ostrácodos, con el objetivo de reconstruir la evolución paleoambiental de esta zona. Estos conjuntos de microfauna integrados con el análisis de las facies sedimentarias permiten concluir la existencia de lagos con un nivel acuífero de pocas decenas de metros. Se concluye que existió un cambio en las condiciones químicas de las aguas, que evolucionaron a partir de oligohalinos y sin gas a mesohalino y sulfatadas

Quantitative taphonomy of the Cacela site (late Tortonian; Algarve, S Portugal)

A quantitative taphonomic analysis were performed in the fossil assemblages of the late Tortonian of the lower-mid part of the Cacela Formation (Cacela, Algarve, S Portugal). Taphonomic results, together with sedimentological analysis and the faunal assemblages, allow to inferring palaeoenvironmental changes. The upper Tortonian sedimentation started with fan-delta conglomerates that quickly changed to outerplatform silty marls deposited in a setting with a relatively low sedimentation rate as indicated by the concentration of glauconite. Higher up into the section, a progressive shallowing trend is inferred, and sediments of inner platform settings were forme

Genomic analysis of 18th-century kazakh individuals and their oral microbiome

The Asian Central Steppe, consisting of current-day Kazakhstan and Russia, has acted as a highway for major migrations throughout history. Therefore, describing the genetic composition of past populations in Central Asia holds value to understanding human mobility in this pivotal region. In this study, we analyse paleogenomic data generated from five humans from Kuygenzhar, Kazakhstan. These individuals date to the early to mid-18th century, shortly after the Kazakh Khanate was founded, a union of nomadic tribes of Mongol Golden Horde and Turkic origins. Genomic analysis identifies that these individuals are admixed with varying proportions of East Asian ancestry, indicating a recent admixture event from East Asia. The high amounts of DNA from the anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria Tannerella forsythia, a periodontal pathogen, recovered from their teeth suggest they may have suffered from periodontitis disease. Genomic analysis of this bacterium identified recently evolved virulence and glycosylation genes including the presence of antibiotic resistance genes predating the antibiotic era. This study provides an integrated analysis of individuals with a diet mostly based on meat (mainly horse and lamb), milk, and dairy products and their oral microbiome

Development of an in-vitro model system to investigate the mechanism of muscle protein catabolism induced by proteolysis-inducing factor

The mechanism of muscle protein catabolism induced by proteolysis-inducing factor, produced by cachexia-inducing murine and human tumours has been studied in vitro using C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes. In both myoblasts and myotubes protein degradation was enhanced by proteolysis-inducing factor after 24 h incubation. In myoblasts this followed a bell-shaped dose-response curve with maximal effects at a proteolysis-inducing factor concentration between 2 and 4 nM, while in myotubes increased protein degradation was seen at all concentrations of proteolysis-inducing factor up to 10 nM, again with a maximum of 4 nM proteolysis-inducing factor. Protein degradation induced by proteolysis-inducing factor was completely attenuated in the presence of cycloheximide (1 μM), suggesting a requirement for new protein synthesis. In both myoblasts and myotubes protein degradation was accompanied by an increased expression of the α-type subunits of the 20S proteasome as well as functional activity of the proteasome, as determined by the ‘chymotrypsin-like’ enzyme activity. There was also an increased expression of the 19S regulatory complex as well as the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E214k), and in myotubes a decrease in myosin expression was seen with increasing concentrations of proteolysis-inducing factor. These results show that proteolysis-inducing factor co-ordinately upregulates both ubiquitin conjugation and proteasome activity in both myoblasts and myotubes and may play an important role in the muscle wasting seen in cancer cachexia

TNF-α is involved in activating DNA fragmentation in skeletal muscle

Intraperitoneal administration of 100 μg kg−1 (body weight) of tumour necrosis factor-α to rats for 8 consecutive days resulted in a significant decrease in protein content, which was concomitant with a reduction in DNA content. Interestingly, the protein/DNA ratio was unchanged in the skeletal muscle of the tumour necrosis factor-α-treated animals as compared with the non-treated controls. Analysis of muscle DNA fragmentation clearly showed enhanced laddering in the skeletal muscle of tumour necrosis factor-α-treated animals, suggesting an apoptotic phenomenon. In a different set of experiments, mice bearing a cachexia-inducing tumour (the Lewis lung carcinoma) showed an increase in muscle DNA fragmentation (9.8-fold) as compared with their non-tumour-bearing control counterparts as previously described. When gene-deficient mice for tumour necrosis factor-α receptor protein I were inoculated with Lewis lung carcinoma, they were also affected by DNA fragmentation; however the increase was only 2.1-fold. These results suggest that tumour necrosis factor-α partly mediates DNA fragmentation during experimental cancer-associated cachexia

The role of glucocorticoids in the induction of zinc-α2-glycoprotein expression in adipose tissue in cancer cachexia

Loss of adipose tissue in cancer cachexia in mice bearing the MAC16 tumour arises from an increased lipid mobilisation through increased expression of zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) in white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissue. Glucocorticoids have been suggested to increase ZAG expression, and this study examines their role in cachexia and the mechanisms involved. In mice bearing the MAC16 tumour, serum cortisol concentrations increased in parallel with weight loss, and the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486 (25 mg kg−1) attenuated both the loss of body weight and ZAG expression in WAT. Dexamethasone (66 μg kg−1) administration to normal mice produced a six-fold increase in ZAG expression in both WAT and BAT, which was also attenuated by RU38486. In vitro studies using 3T3-L1 adipocytes showed dexamethasone (1.68 μM) to stimulate lipolysis and increase ZAG expression, and both were attenuated by RU38486 (10 μM), anti-ZAG antibody (1 μgml−1), and the β3-adrenoreceptor (β3-AR) antagonist SR59230A (10 μM). Zinc-α2-glycoprotein also increased its own expression and this was attenuated by SR59230A, suggesting that it was mediated through the β3-AR. This suggests that glucocorticoids stimulate lipolysis through an increase in ZAG expression, and that they are responsible for the increase in ZAG expression seen in adipose tissue of cachectic mice

La nécropole néolithique de la Feixa del Moro (Juberri, Andorre): Examen et nouvelles données

At the beginning of the 1980s, a series of archaeological interventions carried out by what was previously called the 'Servei d'Investigacions Arqueológiques del Patrimoni Artistic Nacional d'Andorra' in a Pyrenean valley in Andorra allowed the investigation of the Feixa del Moro site. In a high-altitude area below a series of abandoned terraces, several dwellings and burial structures were located, all of them with chronologies ranging between the Early and the Middle Neolithic (from the mid 5th millennium to the early 4th millennium cal. BC). The distinctiveness of this site does not only lie in its geographical location, nor in the kind of structures discovered, but also in the very good state of preservation of the human bone material recovered from the burials, making Feixa del Moro one of the reference sites for the Neolithic in the Pyrenees and, in general, the Western Mediterranean. So far, sites with a similar conservation of both bones and burial structures are really uncommon. Moreover, the concentration in so small an area, and in the same stratigraphic unit, of such a diversity of evidence, including burials, silos and hearths, is yet more unusual. There are no similar sites in Andorra, or even in the entire Pyrenees. The only other burial site of comparable chronology discovered in the area is the Segudet site, and only a few high-altitude Neolithic dwelling sites are known. Even if cist burials are quite common in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula and in Southern France, Feixa del Moro is the first that has been found at high altitude. The archaeological work undertaken between 1983 and 1985 provided a picture of a farming community belonging to the so-called 'Sepulcros de fosa' Culture, established in the very heart of the Pyrenees and, thus, highlighted the complexity of Neolithic settlement patterns, even in mountainous zones. At the same time, several analyses of the archaeological materials were already carried out, making Feixa del Moro a reference site for archaeological research even now. Nevertheless, three decades later, new methodologies and the technical advances available are allowing archaeologists to refine old interpretations, to reopen old debates and to carry out new analyses that can improve our understanding of the past. In this respect, since 2011, within the research project 'Aproximación a las primeras comunidades neolíticas del NE peninsular a través de sus prácticas funerarias' (HAR2011-23149), funded by the Spanish Ministry for the Economy and Competitiveness, a group of interdisciplinary researchers have begun to study several Neolithic burial contexts in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, among which Feixa del Moro. Following this perspective, in this paper, we present the outcome of the new analyses carried out on the burial goods and of the biochemistry and radiocarbon analyses carried out on the human bone material from the three cist burials of Feixa del Moro, with the aim of better understanding the early farming communities who settled in the Pyrenees. Since the last archaeological work carried out in the 1990s, large quantities of data have been lost. This has produced a certain degree of confusion and misunderstanding that has been repeated in other studies undertaken a posteriori on the site by other scholars. Some of these interpretations need to be revised. That it is why, within the current research project, we are not only bringing in new analyses, but also re-examining all the old written and graphic information available, as well as the state of the conserved archaeological material. The data presented in this paper resume all the available information on the Feixa del Moro site, correcting old mistakes and bias, updating the 1980s archaeological registers and presenting new analyses as well. Our aim is to ensure that Feixa del Moro remains a reference site for the Pyrenean and Western Mediterranean Neolithic. At the same time, we wish to encourage other researchers to undertake new analyses and to embrace new perspectives in order to improve our understanding of Neolithic societies

Augmented Reality in a Hiking Tour of the Miocene Geoheritage of the Central Algarve Cliffs (Portugal)

Acceso electrónico sólo desde el IGMEEight sites with geological (including palaeontological and geomorphological) interest (geosites) representative of the Lower and Middle Miocene carbonate deposits near Albufeira in central Algarve (southern Portugal) have been selected based on our extended working experience. The sites can be visited by hiking in a 1-day field trip. A virtual 3D tour of the georeferenced sites was produced using augmented reality technique and geoinformatic tools which integrate thematic digital layers such as geological maps and orthophotos. Every stop in the tour includes descriptive and graphic elements that can be viewed in free virtual globes (e.g. Google Earth) combined with diagrams, photographs and information sheets that quantitatively assess the cultural-touristic, educational and scientific value of the geosites. A virtual flight itinerary compatible with video formats in the new free technologies (smartphones, tablets and iPads) is also presented.Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Salamanca, EspañaGeoBioTec, Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, PortugalDepartamento de Estratigrafía, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, EspañaMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, EspañaLaboratório Nacional de Geologia e Energia, Portuga

Satellite Cells Senescence in Limb Muscle of Severe Patients with COPD

Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Québec, Canada Rationale: The maintenance of peripheral muscle mass may be compromised in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to premature cellular senescence and exhaustion of the regenerative potential of the muscles. Methods: Vastus lateralis biopsies were obtained from patients with COPD (n = 16) and healthy subjects (n = 7). Satellite cell number and the proportion of central nuclei, as a marker of muscle regenerative events, were assessed on cryosections. Telomere lengths, used as a marker of cellular senescence, were determined using Southern blot analyses. Results: Central nuclei proportion was significantly higher in patients with COPD with a preserved muscle mass compared to controls and patients with COPD with muscle atrophy (p,0.001). In COPD, maximal telomere length was significantly decreased compared to controls (p,0.05). Similarly, minimal telomere length was significantly reduced in GOLD III–IV patients with muscle atrophy compared to controls (p,0.005). Minimal, mean and maximum telomere lengths correlated with mid-thigh muscle cross-sectional area (MTCSA) (R = 0.523, p = 0.005; R = 0.435, p = 0.019 and R = 0.491, p = 0.009, respectively). Conclusions: Evidence of increased regenerative events was seen in GOLD III–IV patients with preserved muscle mass. Shortening of telomeres in GOLD III–IV patients with muscle atrophy is consistent with an increased number of senescen