Length Distributions and Recruitment Index of Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in Flemish Cap (Division 3M) in 1993-1998, as Inferred from Stomach Contents Analysis of Cod (Gadus morhua), Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) and Thorny Skate (Raja radiata)

From stomachs of cod (Gadus morhua), Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) and thorny skate (Raja radiata) sampled in the fishing surveys carried out in Flemish Cap in July from 1993 to 1998, the importance in diet, predator-prey relationship and length frequency of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) were evaluated. These three species prey on different lengths of northern shrimp as a function of their feeding habits and the overlap in their ranges of vertical distribution with that of their prey. The ability of these predators to sample different sizes of northern shrimp allows the observation of the annual progression of strong year classes of this prey and the estimate of its recruitment at age 2 from its frequency of occurrence in cod stomach contents from 1989 to 1997

Abundance and Distribution of Elasmobranchs in NAFO Regulatory Area (Divisions 3MNO) (Elasmobranch Fisheries – Oral)

Recently, the importance of elasmobranch fisheries has increased in the NAFO area due to the collapse of some important stocks like cod or American plaice; species like thorny skate are now one of the main resources in the NAFO Regulatory Area, especially in the Grand Bank. Nevertheless, in Flemish Cap (NAFO Div 3M), despite the weakness of the main stocks, elasmobranchs carry on being a resource without direct fishing that is mainly fished as by-catch. Since 1988 a bottom trawl survey was carried out by the European Community in Flemish Cap waters. Furthermore, since 1995, another trawl survey was also carried out in the Regulatory Area of the Grand Bank (NAFO, Div. 3NO); the goal of these surveys is collecting data for the assessment of the main species but these surveys are also an important source of information on biology and population dynamics of other fish species like elasmobranchs. The aim of this work is to show the present status and the recent changes in biomass of the main elasmobranch species in the areas covered by these surveys, with focus on their relative abundance, their spatial distribution and their size distribution. We have found out that thorny skate, that is the most important elasmobranchs in NAFO area, is widely distributed in both sampling areas without signs of stocks differentiation

A synthetic-lethality RNAi screen reveals an ERK-mTOR co-targeting pro-apoptotic switch in PIK3CA+ oral cancers.

mTOR inhibition has emerged as a promising strategy for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) treatment. However, most targeted therapies ultimately develop resistance due to the activation of adaptive survival signaling mechanisms limiting the activity of targeted agents. Thus, co-targeting key adaptive mechanisms may enable more effective cancer cell killing. Here, we performed a synthetic lethality screen using shRNA libraries to identify druggable candidates for combinatorial signal inhibition. We found that the ERK pathway was the most highly represented. Combination of rapamycin with trametinib, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, demonstrated strong synergism in HNSCC-derived cells in vitro and in vivo, including HNSCC cells expressing the HRAS and PIK3CA oncogenes. Interestingly, cleaved caspase-3 was potently induced by the combination therapy in PIK3CA+ cells in vitro and tumor xenografts. Moreover, ectopic expression of PIK3CA mutations into PIK3CA- HNSCC cells sensitized them to the pro-apoptotic activity of the combination therapy. These findings indicate that co-targeting the mTOR/ERK pathways may provide a suitable precision strategy for HNSCC treatment. Moreover, PIK3CA+ HNSCC are particularly prone to undergo apoptosis after mTOR and ERK inhibition, thereby providing a potential biomarker of predictive value for the selection of patients that may benefit from this combination therapy

Contribution of the single photon emission computed tomography with 99mTc red blood cells in splenosis

The term splenosis refers to the presence of auto-transplanted splenic tissue in a heterotopic location. These foci can be localized to the liver simulating a malignant lesion. Sometimes these lesions are difficult to identify using conventional imaging techniques (ultrasound, CT and MR). Then, a scan with denatured erythrocytes marked with 99mTc has proven to be an effective technique to confirm the diagnosis of splenosis and to establish its extension. The incorporation of hybrid imaging techniques (SPECT-CT) into usual clinical practice has increased the precision of the localization of these foci of splenosis. We hereby report the cases of two patients diagnosed with splenosis, the first by laparotomy and the second after performing scintigraphy with red blood cells labeled with 99mTc. In the first case, the laparotomy revealed numerous reticulated nodules on the diaphragmatic peritoneal surface, the transverse colon and the right kidney. Finally, the anatomopathological diagnosis confirmed a case of splenosis. In the second case, the results of the 99mTc marked red blood cell gammagraphy and SPECT-CT were consistent with the diagnosis of splenosis in the patient. To obtain correct information in cases of lesions highly suspicious of splenosis, 99mTc marked red blood cell gammagraphy should be performed due to the high sensitivity and specificity of the test. Combined diagnostic imaging (SPECT-CT), have increased the specificity of this test due to improvements in the characterization of lesions. We believe that the use of this technique will help avoid unnecessary surgical procedures

An insight into transfer hydrogenation reactions catalysed by iridium(III) bis-N-heterocyclic carbenes

A variety of [M(L)2(L′)2{κC,C′-bis(NHC)}]BF4 complexes (M = Rh or Ir; L = CH3CN or wingtip group; L′ = I– or CF3COO–; NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) have been tested as pre-catalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones and imines. The conversions and TOF's obtained are closely related to the nature of the ligand system and metal centre, more strongly coordinating wingtip groups yielding more active and recyclable catalysts. Theoretical calculations at the DFT level support a classic stepwise metal-hydride pathway against the concerted Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley (MPV) mechanism. The calculated catalytic cycle involves a series of ligand rearrangements due to the high trans effect of the carbene and hydrido ligands, which are more stable when situated in mutual cis positions. The reaction profiles obtained for the complexes featuring an iodide or a trifluoroacetate in one of the apical positions agree well with the relative activity observed for both catalysts.The authors would like to acknowledge the support by the Ministry of Higher Education, Saudi Arabia, in establishment of the Centre of Research Excellence in Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals at KFUPM (KACST-funded project ART-32-68). The support under the KFUPM–University of Zaragoza research agreement is also highly appreciated. This work was further supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO/FEDER) (CONSOLIDER INGENIO CSD2009-0050, CTQ2011-27593 and CTQ2012-35665 projects) and the Diputación General de Aragón (DGA/FSE-E07).Peer Reviewe

Passionate healthcare workers in demanding intensive care units: its relationship with daily exhaustion, secondary traumatic stress, empathy, and self‑compassion.

This study focuses on Intensive Care Units (ICU) and aims to test whether daily job demands are related to daily emotional exhaustion and secondary traumatic stress (STS) after work through the experience of passion at work and whether personal resources in ICU, such as empathy and self-compassion, moderate these relationships. A diary study was designed to assess day-level job demands, passion, empathy, self-compassion at work; and day-level emotional exhaustion and STS after work. The sample was 97 healthcare workers from ICU from different Spanish hospitals being selected by the snowball technique. This sample was assessed 5 days x two moments per day through a diary questionnaire. The multilevel analysis showed a negative mediational effect of harmonious passion between daily job demands and both emotional exhaustion and STS. Also, in predicting emotional exhaustion, a moderator effect of empathy on harmonious passion was found, as well as a moderator effect of self-compassion on obsessive passion. In predicting STS, a direct positive effect was found in empathy. Our findings highlight the vocational work of these healthcare workers, considering job demands as challenging and enhancing their harmonious passion to overcome the drawbacks. Moreover, empathy revealed to have a negative effect whereas self-compassion the contrary. Thus, increase the awareness on these personal resources and how to train them could be considered as valuable preventative measures.post-print838 K

Informe de campaña: Platuxa 2015

La campaña Platuxa 2015 se ha llevado a cabo desde el 31 de mayo hasta el 21 de junio a bordo del B/O Vizconde de Eza. La campaña se realizó tal y como estaba previsto en el plan de campaña, gracias en parte a que se contó con marineros de refuerzo y las condiciones meteorologicas fueron propicias y permitieron trabajar de forma satisfactoria. Se realizaron un total 126 pescas, de las cuales tres fueron nulas debido a enganches durante el arrastre que produjeron daños severos en el aparejo y otra no fue consideraba válida por un mal funcionamiento del arte que provocó la virada del aparejo a los siete minutos de arrastre. Los 122 lances válidos tuvieron en su mayoría una duración de 30 minutos y cubrieron un rango de profundidades entre 43 y 1482 m, de forma que se ha muestreado el área de estudio completa. Asimismo se obtuvieron 127 perfiles hidrográficos con el CTD, aunque del total de perfiles realizados 4 fueron nulos por un problema de configuración que impidió el registro de los datos. El análisis de los datos recogidos este año muestra diferentes lecturas respecto a los resultados de 2014 y de la media de captura media estratificada (que considera el área del estrato en su estimación) del periodo 2002-2014. Comparando los datos con el año 2014, aumentó la captura de raya radiata (125%), mendo (100%), gallineta (97%), granadero berglax (75%), fletán negro (50%), tiburón negro (20%) y platija americana (6%). Disminuyó la captura de bacalao (59%) y se mantuvieron las capturas de limanda y bertorella tenuis (Tabla 1.1 y Figura 4.2.1). En comparación con la media de captura estratificada para el periodo 2002-2014, aumentaron las capturas de gallineta (128%), tiburón negro (100%), bacalao (52%) y fletán negro (29%), y disminuyeron las de raya radiata (38%), mendo (33%), platija americana (19%), limanda (16%) y granadero berglax (13%). Este año además se capturaron 3495 kg de capelán (Mallotus villosus), y 2505 kg de bolo (Ammodites dubius). La captura de capelán fue de 3.5 t, inferior a la registrada durante la campaña de 2014 en la que alcanzó 9 t, mientras que la captura de bolo registra un ligero aumento con respecto a 2014 hasta 2.5 t (Figura 4.2.1).The 3NO survey (Platuxa) 2015 was conducted from 31 May to 19 June 2015 on board the R/V Vizconde de Eza. The survey took place as scheduled, thanks in part to counting with two extra deckhands and weather conditions were favorable and allowed to work satisfactorily. A total of 126 hauls were taken, four hauls were void, three of them because the trawl was severely damaged after snagging while fishing and the fourth was interrupted after 7 minutes because the gear was not performing adequately. The 122 valid hauls lasted 30 minutes in their majority and covered a depth range between 43 and 1482 m, thus the study area was sampled as planned. Furthermore, 127 hydrographic profiles were obtained, although 4 of them were void due to technical issues that prevented recording the data. Data analysis provides different readings when comparing the 2014 results with those from 2015 or with the mean stratified catch (which takes into account the strata area) for the period 2002-2014. Compared to 2014, there were increases in catches of thorny skate (125%), witch flounder (100%), redfish (97%), roughhead grenadier (75%), Greenland halibut (50%), black dogfish (20%) and American plaice (6%). Cod catch declined roughly by 59% and catches of yellowtail flounder and white hake remained stable (Table 1.1 and Figure 4.2.1). When 2015 results are compared to the stratified mean for 2002-2014, redfish catch was 38% lower. Others species that showed decreases respect to the mean were witch flounder (33%), American plaice (19%), yellowtail flounder (16%) and roughhead grenadier (13%). Redfish catch increased by 128%, black dogfish by 100%, cod by 52% and Greenland halibut by 29%. During the 2015 survey, capelin catch decreased from 9 t in 2014 to 3.5 t and northern sand lance catch increased slightly to 2.5 t (Figure 4.2.1

Spanish Research Report for 1999

14 páginas, 18 tablasPeer reviewe

Spanish Research Report for 2002

26 páginas, 24 tablasPeer reviewe

Spanish Research Report for 2003

24 páginas, 22 tablasPeer reviewe