Los altos del Ringo Rango (Los Barrios, Cádiz): un complejo residencial e industrial de época romana (ss. I-V D.C.) en la Bahía de Algeciras

El objetivo de nuestro trabajo es dar a conocer los resultados preliminares obtenidos en la intervención arqueológica de urgencia llevada a cabo en el mes de julio de 1998 por un equipo de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid en la villa romana de Puente Grande, integrada en los Altos del Ringo Rango, en el Término Municipal de Los Barrios (Cádiz), con motivo de la realización de un acceso de la Autovía A-381 a dicha localidad, en la cual se pusieron al descubierto algunas estructuras murarias. Se presenta un avance de la documentación obtenida durante el trabajo de campo, cuya excepcionalidad radica en tratarse del primer asentamiento de época romana destinado a la explotación agropecuaria y de los recursos marítimos del entorno excavado de manera sistemática hasta la fehca en el Campo de Gibraltar. Los restos documentados coinciden con un sector de la pars urbana del asentamiento, así como diversas dependencias que inducen a pensar en la existencia de un posible complejo termal de época altoimperial (ss. I-II d. C.). Asimismo, el hallazgo de un horno destinado a la fabricación de ánforas, cerámicas comunes y material latericio en el s. IV d. C. confirma la reocupación de que fue objeto la villa en el Bajo Imperio, la cual ha sido detectada en la práctica totalidad de las zonas excavadas hasta la fecha

Novedades de la Prehistoria de Ceuta. Resultados científicos de la carta arqueológica.

Artículo sobre los resultados de la carta arqueológica realizada en Ceuta. Síntesis de los resultados

Prevalence of Salmonella in Free-Range Pigs: Risk Factors and Intestinal Microbiota Composition

Extensive pig systems are gaining importance as quality production systems and as the standard for sustainable rural development and animal welfare. However, the effects of natural foods on Salmonella epidemiology remain unknown. Herein, we assessed the presence of Salmonella and the composition of the gut microbiota in pigs from both Salmonella-free and high Salmonella prevalence farms. In addition, risk factors associated with the presence of Salmonella were investigated. The pathogen was found in 32.2% of animals and 83.3% of farms, showing large differences in prevalence between farms. Most isolates were serovars Typhimurium monophasic (79.3%) and Bovismorbificans (10.3%), and exhibited a multi-drug resistance profile (58.6%). Risk factor analysis identified feed composition, type/variety of vegetation available, and silos’ cleaning/disinfection as the main factors associated with Salmonella prevalence. Clear differences in the intestinal microbiota were found between Salmonella-positive and Salmonella-negative populations, showing the former with increasing Proteobacteria and decreasing Bacteroides populations. Butyrate and propionate producers including Clostridium, Turicibacter, Bacteroidaceae_uc, and Lactobacillus were more abundant in the Salmonella-negative group, whereas acetate producers like Sporobacter, Escherichia or Enterobacter were more abundant in the Salmonella-positive group. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of Salmonella in free-range pigs is directly related to the natural vegetation accessible, determining the composition of the intestinal microbiota.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sarcopenia y su relevancia en la práctica clínica

La sarcopenia se define como una combinación de baja fuerza y masa muscular con alteración funcional del músculo, que afecta a poblaciones de diferentes edades por diversos motivos. La prevalencia global en adultos mayores se ha estimado en 10% (IC 95%: 8-12%) en hombres y 10% (IC 95%: 8-13%) en mujeres. Recientemente ha cobrado importancia su detección en enfermedades reumáticas, particularmente las inflamatorias. En esta revisión narrativa hemos considerado: a) recomendaciones para el diagnóstico de la sarcopenia; b) herramientas útiles para la práctica clínica y la investigación; c) su relación con las enfermedades reumáticas. Según el último Consenso Europeo de Sarcopenia la búsqueda debe comenzar cuando el paciente reporta síntomas y/o signos (debilidad, lentitud al caminar, desgaste muscular, pérdida de masa muscular, etc.). Para los adultos mayores se recomienda el cuestionario SARC-F como herramienta de tamizaje. Varias pruebas establecen los puntos de corte que deben utilizarse para diagnosticar la baja fuerza muscular, la disminución en la masa muscular y la alteración en el rendimiento físico. La relevancia de diagnosticar precozmente la sarcopenia se basa en el impacto clínico, económico y social que tiene, incluyendo la funcionalidad y calidad de vida de las personas, muy importante en aquellas con enfermedades reumatológicas

Histology of maize seeds and young germinating embryos after liquid nitrogen exposure

[EN] Maize represents a staple food crop and is the second most important agricultural commodity globally. Considering the important role of maize for food security, the long-term conservation of valuable germplasm is critical to ensure that high levels of genetic diversity are available for breeding superior cultivars to face future challenges. Cryopreservation is regarded as the most appropriate tool for long-term germplasm preservation and has been investigated in different crops. This short communication adds to the existing knowledge on maize cryopreservation by describing histological changes observed in maize seeds and young germinating embryos after liquid nitrogen (LN) exposure. Plants were examined immediately after recovery from LN (day zero) and following 3 days of germination. At day 3, seeds exposed to LN showed lower germination rates than non-cryostored seeds, i.e., 60.7% vs. 83.3%. Histological evaluation at day 3 revealed that the thickness of the conical endosperm and the scutellum did not show any statistically significant differences between control and cryopreserved seeds. In contrast, for the other histological evaluations made, mostly regarding the thickness of mesocarp, mealy endosperm, plumule, radicle and the epidermis, significant differences were observed between control and cryostored seeds with the former consistently displaying higher average values than the latter.Villalobos-Olivera, A.; Pereira, R.; Gómez, D.; Martínez, J.; Escalante, D.; Martínez-Montero, ME.; Hajari, E.... (2021). Histology of maize seeds and young germinating embryos after liquid nitrogen exposure. Romanian Biotechnological Letters. 26(4):2855-2861. https://doi.org/10.25083/rbl/26.4/2855.28612855286126

Influencia del bajo peso al nacer en el estado de salud del globo ocular

Se estudiaron los niños nacidos con bajo peso reportados en las estadísticas del Policlínico Comunitario Docente “Tomás Romay” de Artemisa entre los años 1999 y 2002, constatando una baja incidencia de la enfermedad ocular. Se encontraron alteraciones leves en el fondo de ojo (14%), el estrabismo (2,3%) y con muy escasa frecuencia las alteraciones de los anexos y segmento anterior del globo ocular. La hipermetropía fue el defecto refractivo de mayor incidencia (52,2%). Desde el punto de vista pediátrico, los partos pretérminos fueron los más numerosos con 59,1%, con predominio del Apgar normal en un 90,9%. Fueron más numerosos aquellos nacidos con peso entre 2001 y 2500g para un 84,1%

Intestinal microbiota composition in free-range pigs is associated with the presence of Salmonella

Extensive pig systems are gaining importance as quality production systems and as stand ard for sustainable rural development and animal welfare. However, the effect of natural food on Salmonella epidemiology remains unknown. Here we assessed the presence of Salmonella in the in testinal content, the risks factors associated, and the gut microbiota composition in pigs selected from Salmonella-free and high prevalence farms. The pathogen was found in 32.2% of animals and 83.3% of farms, showing large differences in prevalence between farms. Most isolates were serovars Typhimurium monophasic (79.3%) and Bovismorbificans (10.3%), exhibiting multi-drug resistance (58.6%). Risk factor analysis identified feed composition, type/variety of vegetation available, and silos' cleaning/disinfection, as main factors associated with Salmonella prevalence. Clear differences in the intestinal microbiota were found between Salmonella-positive and Salmonella-negative popu- lations, showing the former increasing Proteobacteria and decreasing Bacteroides populations. Butyr ate and propionate producers, including Clostridium, Turicibacter, Bacteroidaceae_uc, and Lactoba- cillus were enriched in the Salmonella-negative group whereas acetate producers like Sporobacter, Escherichia or Enterobacter were more abundant in the Salmonella-positive group. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of Salmonella in free-range pigs' gut is directly related to the natural veg- etation accessible, determining the composition of the intestinal microbiota.This work was funded by the Caja Navarra Foundation (project reference 70628)

Crop yield, weed infestation and soil fertility responses to contrasted ploughing intensity and manure additions in a Mediterranean organic crop rotation

Conservation agriculture and organic farming are two alternative strategies that aim to improve soil quality and fertility in arable cropping systems through reducing tillage intensity, maintaining soil cover and increasing nutrient recycling, using farmyard and green manures. However, these practices can increase weed infestation or decrease nutrient availability. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of tillage type (mouldboard vs. chisel ploughing), fertilization and green manure on soil parameters (SOC, N, bulk density, carbon stocks, and soil microbial biomass Cmic and Nmic), weed abundance and crop yields in a four-year rotation of spelt, chickpea, winter wheat and lentil in the Mediterranean region (Catalonia, Spain). Tillage and green manure did not affect crop yields or weed biomass, although during the last year of the experiment, plots with mouldboard ploughing had less weed biomass and higher lentil biomass. Fertilization was the most important factor, increasing the cereal yields, SOC, N and soil microbial biomass (Cmic and Nmic) content of the soil. However, fertilization did not favour chickpea and lentil crops because weed competition limited legume crop growth. Overall, there was a loss of SOC and a reduction of carbon stocks over the four years of the trial in the soil because of the deep soil tillage (25 cm) and low crop productivity irrespective of tillage type. In contrast, N content increased in all of the plots and was enhanced by fertilization. The use of chisel plough stratified the distribution of SOC and N in the surface layers (0-10 cm). Both Cmic and Cmic/SOC ratio increased in fertilized treatments, suggesting an increased lability of SOC. The application of more stabilized organic matter may be a better practice to build up soil organic matter and to maintain crop yields in organic farming systems

Differential Viral-Host Immune Interactions Associated with Oseltamivir-Resistant H275Y and Wild-Type H1N1 A(pdm09) Influenza Virus Pathogenicity

Oseltamivir is a common therapy against influenza A virus (IAV) infections. The acquisition of oseltamivir resistance (OR) mutations, such as H275Y, hampers viral fitness. However, OR H1N1 viruses have demonstrated the ability to spread throughout different populations. The objective of this work was to compare the fitness of two strains of OR (R6 and R7) containing the H275Y mutation, and a wild-type (F) pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (pdm09) virus both in vitro and in vivo in mice and to select one OR strain for a comparison with F in ferrets. R6 showed faster replication and pathogenicity than R7 in vitro and in mice. Subsequently, R6 was selected for the fitness comparison with the F strain in ferrets. Ferrets infected with the F virus showed more severe clinical signs, histopathological lung lesions, and viral quantification when compared to OR R6-infected animals. More importantly, differential viral kinetics correlated with differential pro-inflammatory host immune responses in the lungs of infected ferrets, where OR-infected animals developed a protective higher expression of type I IFN and Retinoid acid Inducible Gene I (RIG-I) genes early after infection, resulting in the development of milder disease. These results suggest the presence of early specific viral-host immune interactions relevant in the development of influenza-associated lung pathology.This work was funded by the coordinated project RTA 2011-00111-C03 of the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (“Programa especial de investigación sobre la gripe pandémica” GR09/0023, GR09/0040, GR09/0039), and by the Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària (SDPV) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. This work was also partially funded by the CERCA program from Generalitat de Catalunya

Mutagenic effects of sodium azide on pineapple micropropagant growth and biochemical profile within temporary immersion bioreactors

Sodium azide (NaN3) is widely used to induce mutagenesis within in vitro plant systems. However, since this mutagenesis is undirected, its unintended effects demand characterization. This study investigated the mutagenic effects of sodium azide (0-0.45 mM) on selected growth (shoot multiplication rate and shoot cluster fresh weight) and biochemical (aldehydes, chlorophylls, carotenoids and phenolics) parameters in pineapple micropropagants within temporary immersion bioreactors (TIBs). The content of soluble phenolics in the culture medium was also evaluated. Irrespective of the concentration NaN3 decreased shoot multiplication rate (by 87% relative to the control at 0.45 mM) and fresh weight (by 66% relative to the control at 0.45 mM). Levels of chlorophyll a and b, and soluble phenolics in the culture medium were also negatively correlated with NaN3 concentration. Interestingly, NaN3 application increased shoot carotenoid and soluble phenolic levels but had no significant effect on a range of established plant stress biomarkers: cell wall-linked phenolic levels, malondialdehyde and other aldehydes. Given that 0.19 mM NaN3 decreased shoot multiplication rate by 50% and resulted in propagants that displayed no morphologically abnormalities, increased levels of photoprotective pigments (relative to the control) and no significant increase in lipid peroxidation products, the mutagen can be used at this concentration to induce pineapple mutagenesis in TIB based studies aimed at producing agriculturally-useful mutants