Aquaculture perceptions in the Barcelona metropolitan area from fish and seafood wholesalers, fishmongers, and consumers

Aquaculture provides more than half of the global seafood production and offers a wide diversity of high-quality products. However, its social acceptability is still not well established. The goal of this study was to determine the perceptions of aquaculture by different stakeholders along the seafood value chain in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The methodology used was based on a two-phase qualitative approach: the nominal group technique (NGT) and the Delphi survey. In the NGT phase, three groups, wholesalers, fishmongers and consumers, the latter divided into two subgroups according to the frequency of consumption of seafood, were used to collect and rank positive and negative perceptions about aquaculture. This information was subsequently used to build the questionnaire for the Delphi survey, which involved a group of experts from the board of the Wholesalers' Association, Fishmongers' Guild board and consumers' associations. Results showed that among the different stakeholders the highest concordance in positive aspects of aquaculture products included market issues and the stable quality of farmed products. On the other hand, the highest concordance in negative aspects included the lack of sufficient information about aquaculture, which was a serious issue for all stakeholders, and quality. Globally, animal welfare and environmental impact issues were not of much concern, although they included some minor positive and negative perceptions. The diversity of opinions among experts on certain aspects further emphasizes the need for more information, as they could have a potential role as information prescribers to consumers. We argue that information campaigns can take advantage of the positive perception of market issues (convenience, price, diversity) and quality stability to create a favourable predisposition towards aquaculture and thus help to introduce other problems in which perceptions generate a stronger debate. In communication or marketing campaigns, it is essential to highlight the quality and safety of farmed products, with a particular emphasis on the quality of fish feed as a guarantee of optimal nutritional and organoleptic properties of aquaculture products. Welfare and environment generate minor negative perceptions, so they should appear in campaigns, with a firm focus on the sustainability of the aquaculture sector, to improve its general image. In summary, the results of this study contribute to identifying the most relevant aspects to be taken into account to improve the public perception of aquaculture in the Barcelona area and may be of help in the design of similar efforts elsewhere.Postprint (updated version

Molecular profiling of circulating tumor cells links plasticity to the metastatic process in endometrial cancer

Background About 20% of patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer (EC) are considered high-risk with unfavorable prognosis. In the framework of the European Network for Individualized Treatment in EC (ENITEC), we investigated the presence and phenotypic features of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) in high-risk EC patients. Methods CTC isolation was carried out in peripheral blood samples from 34 patients, ranging from Grade 3 Stage IB to Stage IV carcinomas and recurrences, and 27 healthy controls using two methodologies. Samples were subjected to EpCAM-based immunoisolation using the CELLection™ Epithelial Enrich kit (Invitrogen, Dynal) followed by RTqPCR analysis. The phenotypic determinants of endometrial CTC in terms of pathogenesis, hormone receptor pathways, stem cell markers and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) drivers were asked. Kruskal-Wallis analysis followed by Dunn’s post-test was used for comparisons between groups. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results EpCAM-based immunoisolation positively detected CTC in high-risk endometrial cancer patients. CTC characterization indicated a remarkable plasticity phenotype defined by the expression of the EMT markers ETV5, NOTCH1, SNAI1, TGFB1, ZEB1 and ZEB2. In addition, the expression of ALDH and CD44 pointed to an association with stemness, while the expression of CTNNB1, STS, GDF15, RELA, RUNX1, BRAF and PIK3CA suggested potential therapeutic targets. We further recapitulated the EMT phenotype found in endometrial CTC through the up-regulation of ETV5 in an EC cell line, and validated in an animal model of systemic dissemination the propensity of these CTC in the accomplishment of metastasis. Conclusions Our results associate the presence of CTC with high-risk EC. Gene-expression profiling characterized a CTC-plasticity phenotype with stemness and EMT features. We finally recapitulated this CTC-phenotype by over-expressing ETV5 in the EC cell line Hec1A and demonstrated an advantage in the promotion of metastasis in an in vivo mouse model of CTC dissemination and homing

Association of Candidate Gene Polymorphisms With Chronic Kidney Disease: Results of a Case-Control Analysis in the Nefrona Cohort

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major risk factor for end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular disease and premature death. Despite classical clinical risk factors for CKD and some genetic risk factors have been identified, the residual risk observed in prediction models is still high. Therefore, new risk factors need to be identified in order to better predict the risk of CKD in the population. Here, we analyzed the genetic association of 79 SNPs of proteins associated with mineral metabolism disturbances with CKD in a cohort that includes 2, 445 CKD cases and 559 controls. Genotyping was performed with matrix assisted laser desorption ionizationtime of flight mass spectrometry. We used logistic regression models considering different genetic inheritance models to assess the association of the SNPs with the prevalence of CKD, adjusting for known risk factors. Eight SNPs (rs1126616, rs35068180, rs2238135, rs1800247, rs385564, rs4236, rs2248359, and rs1564858) were associated with CKD even after adjusting by sex, age and race. A model containing five of these SNPs (rs1126616, rs35068180, rs1800247, rs4236, and rs2248359), diabetes and hypertension showed better performance than models considering only clinical risk factors, significantly increasing the area under the curve of the model without polymorphisms. Furthermore, one of the SNPs (the rs2248359) showed an interaction with hypertension, being the risk genotype affecting only hypertensive patients. We conclude that 5 SNPs related to proteins implicated in mineral metabolism disturbances (Osteopontin, osteocalcin, matrix gla protein, matrix metalloprotease 3 and 24 hydroxylase) are associated to an increased risk of suffering CKD

Model de relació entre l’atenció primària i comunitària i l’atenció hospitalària ambulatòria

Atenció primària; Atenció hospitalària; PacientAtención primaria; Atención hospitalaria; PacientePrimary care; Hospital care; PatientL’objectiu del present document és definir un model de relació entre l’atenció primària i comunitària i l’atenció hospitalària ambulatòria que doni una resposta resolutiva, equitativa i de qualitat durant tot el procés assistencial. A tal fi es defineix el diagrama del procés assistencial pel qual els metgesa especialistes de medicina de família i comunitària (MFiC) sol·liciten l’atenció, mitjançant l’ordre clínica, dels seus homòlegs d’atenció hospitalària ambulatòria (MAH). A més, s’estableixen un seguit de recomanacions relatives a la relació que s’estableix entre l’MFiC i el MAH a l’hora de contribuir a la millora de la salut de la persona atesa

Model de relació en la derivació de pacients entre l’àmbit d’atenció primària i l’àmbit d'atenció hospitalària ambulatòria

Atenció primària; Atenció hospitalària; PacientAtención primaria; Atención hospitalaria; PacientePrimary care; Hospital care; PatientL’objectiu del present document és definir un model de relació entre l’atenció primària i comunitària i l’atenció hospitalària ambulatòria que doni una resposta resolutiva, equitativa i de qualitat durant tot el procés assistencial. A tal fi es defineix el diagrama del procés assistencial pel qual els metgesa especialistes de medicina de família i comunitària (MFiC) sol·liciten l’atenció, mitjançant l’ordre clínica, dels seus homòlegs d’atenció hospitalària ambulatòria (MAH). A més, s’estableixen un seguit de recomanacions relatives a la relació que s’estableix entre l’MFiC i el MAH a l’hora de contribuir a la millora de la salut de la persona atesa

Measurement of the Higgs boson production rate in association with top quarks in final states with electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying tau leptons at s√=13TeV

The rate for Higgs (H) bosons production in association with either one (tH) or two (tt¯H) top quarks is measured in final states containing multiple electrons, muons, or tau leptons decaying to hadrons and a neutrino, using proton–proton collisions recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV by the CMS experiment. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137fb−1. The analysis is aimed at events that contain H→WW, H→ττ, or H→ZZ decays and each of the top quark(s) decays either to lepton+jets or all-jet channels. Sensitivity to signal is maximized by including ten signatures in the analysis, depending on the lepton multiplicity. The separation among tH, tt¯H, and the backgrounds is enhanced through machine-learning techniques and matrix-element methods. The measured production rates for the tt¯H and tH signals correspond to 0.92±0.19(stat)+0.17−0.13(syst) and 5.7±2.7(stat)±3.0(syst) of their respective standard model (SM) expectations. The corresponding observed (expected) significance amounts to 4.7 (5.2) standard deviations for tt¯H, and to 1.4 (0.3) for tH production. Assuming that the Higgs boson coupling to the tau lepton is equal in strength to its expectation in the SM, the coupling yt of the Higgs boson to the top quark divided by its SM expectation, κt=yt/ySMt, is constrained to be within −0.9<κt<−0.7 or 0.7<κt<1.1, at 95% confidence level. This result is the most sensitive measurement of the tt¯H production rate to date.SCOAP

Anesthesia for pediatric gastroscopy: a study comparing the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway with nasal cannulae

Background: We tested the hypothesis that pediatric gastroscopy is more successful using the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway with the drain tube as a conduit to the stomach (ProSeal LMA group) than using nasal cannulae with conventional oral access to the stomach (NC group).\ud \ud Methods: Sixty children were consecutively and randomly allocated into each group. Patients breathed spontaneously and were given sevoflurane/air/oxygen mixture with propofol 1 mg·kg−1 boluses, as required. Anesthesia was provided by experienced users of both techniques. The following data were collected by an unblinded observer: operation and anesthesia times; cardiorespiratory data; adverse events; and recovery scores. In addition, the surgeon scored the ease of performing the procedure.\ud \ud Results: The mean (range) age and weight was 74 (24–144) months and 26 (10–61) kg. Operation (15 min vs 24 min, P < 0.0001) and anesthesia (22 min vs 37 min, P < 0.0001) times were shorter in the ProSeal LMA group, but propofol bolus requirements per unit time were similar. Oxygen saturation was higher in the ProSeal LMA group (100% vs 94%, P < 0.0006), but other cardiorespiratory variables were similar. There were no differences in the ease of performing the procedure. Hypoxia occurred more frequently in the NC group (20% vs 0%). Recovery scores were similar.\ud \ud Conclusions: We conclude that pediatric gastroscopy is quicker and has fewer airway complications when performed through the ProSeal LMA than using nasal cannulae and a conventional approach by experienced users

Consumer's positive and negative perceptions towards aquaculture:a hybrid delphi approach

Aquaculture is one of the food sectors with a higher potential for growth. The sector incorporates every time a higher level of scientific and technological advances. However, in Spain, consumers’ unawareness about the production and its processes seems to play against the sector

Supply-chain agents' perceptions towards aquaculture:a hybrid delphi approach

There are many studies that explore consumer’s perception towards aquaculture, but studies focusing specifically on the supply-chain perception are scarce. Consumers’ perceptions towards aquaculture could become a bottleneck for the sector’s full development. Nevertheless, consumer’s buying decisions are directly affected by their fishmongers’ advice and by the availability of fish on the central marketsPostprint (published version