Integration of genetic data on fisheries management models. The European hake case.

The European hake is one of the major commercially important species in Western Europe fisheries. Currently its management is divided into different functional units in the Mediterranean (GFCM, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) and two stocks in the Atlantic: the Southern and the Northern Stock. The basis for the definition of this management stock structure is under permanent discussion and in the latest years there were an increased amount of genetic studies addressing this topic. Integrated ecosystem assessment requires an improved understanding of the marine ecosystem to provide an effective advice. To this end we have gathered hake genetic information from different studies with the aim of developing a spatial assessment model that links the current stocks. These studies show a restricted gene flow between Southern hake and Mediterranean hake, although a smaller genetic distance between Southern and Northern stocks than one expected from two independent populations, suggesting the presence of a major gene flow from northern grounds core stock (Porcupine and Great Sole Banks) towards the Bay of Biscay and the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula. However the quantitative implementation of genetic metrics (such as Fst, migration rates, etc) into population dynamic models is not straightforward given the different nature and assumptions behind these different approaches. In this work we discuss the problems to link these different disciplines suggesting ways to overcome them. These include ways to improve future genetic sampling and developing plausible scenarios for genetic connectivity in population dynamic models

Influence of stress and depression on the immune system in patients evaluated in an anti-aging unit

Background: There is compelling evidence pointing out that stress and depression produce a dramatic impact on human well-being mainly through impairing the regular function of the immune system and producing a low-chronic inflammation status that favors the occurrence of infections, metabolic diseases, and even cancer. The present work aims to evaluate the stress/depression levels of some patients treated in an antiaging unit and detect any potential relationship with their immune system status prior of the implementation of a physical/psychological program designed to prevent health deterioration. Methods: We evaluated 48 patients (16 men and 32 women with a mean age of 55.11 ± 10.71 years) from middle-upper class from psychological and immunological points of view. In particular, we analyzed neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis; lymphocyte chemotaxis and proliferation, and natural killer (NK) cell activity. Results: Women showed more depressive symptoms than men. Chemotaxis levels of lymphocytes and neutrophils in women showed a significant reduction compared with those in men. We also found a strong negative correlation between depression and NK cell function. This correlation was also significant independently of gender. Conclusion: We conclude that NK activity is affected at least by depression state, and we propose that a combined treatment consisting of cognitive behavioral therapy and physical activity programs might improve patient health deterioration

Corrigendum to ‘Dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) reduces growth performance, impacting growth axis, metabolism, and tissue integrity in juvenile gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)’. Aquaculture, volume 533, 25 February 2021, 736189

The authors regret the errors in a few table references within the text. Specifically, it should reads as follows within the following subsections/ page: 3.2. Blood analysis (page 5)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quality and quantity of organic fractions as affected by soil depth in an Argiudoll under Till and No-till systems

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effect of tillage systems on the quantity and quality of organic carbon fractions at different soil layers. Study Design: The experimental design was a split plot with three blocks. The long-term effects (25 years) of conventional- (CT) and no-tillage (NT) systems on a Tipic Argiudoll was sampled at 0-5, 5-10, 10-15 and 15-20 cm soil depth. Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was carried out at Tornquist (38° 07' 06'' S - 62°02' 17'' O) and soil sampling was performed during wheat seeding (June 2011). Methodology: Total soil organic carbon (SOC) content and the following fractions were determined: Coarse particulate (POCc, 105-2000 µm), fine particulate (POCf, 53-105 µm) and mineral-associated (MOC, 0-53 µm) carbon fractions; humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids; and total (CHt) and soluble (CHs) carbohydrates. The main physico-chemical properties of HA and FA were analyzed using both FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopies. Results: After 25 years, total SOC at the 0-20 cm depth was 9% higher in no-tilled than in tilled soils. The POCf was the SOM fraction that turned out to be the most sensitive to tillage effects. The POCc:POCf:MOC ratio at 0-20 cm was similar for NT (3:14:82) and CT (5:10:84); however, differences were found across soil depths. Tilled soils showed higher aromaticity, starting by CH-degradation, in more superficial soil layers

Conjunctival vaccination against Brucella ovis in mice with mannosylated nanoparticles

The use of sub-unit vaccines can solve some drawbacks associated with traditional attenuated or inactivated ones. However, in order to improve their immunogenicity, these vaccines needs to be associated to an appropriate adjuvant which, adequately selected, may also offer an alternative pathway for administration. The aim of this work was to evaluate the protection offered by the hot saline complex extracted from Brucella ovis (HS) encapsulated in mannosylated nanoparticles (MAN-NP-HS) when instilled conjunctivally in mice. Nanoparticles displayed a size of 300 nm and the antigen loading was close to 30 μg per mg nanoparticle. Importantly, encapsulated HS maintained its protein profile, structural integrity and antigenicity during and after the preparative process of nanoparticles. The ocular immunization was performed on BALB/c mice. Eight weeks after vaccination animals were challenged with B. ovis, and 3 weeks later, were slaughtered for bacteriological examinations. Animals immunized with MAN-NP-HS displayed a 3-log reduction in spleen CFU compared with unvaccinated animals. This degree of protection was significantly higher than that observed for the commercial vaccine (Rev1) subcutaneously administered. Interestingly, the mucosal IgA response induced by MAN-NP-HS was found to be much more intense than that offered by Rev1 and prolonged in time. Furthermore, the elicited IL-2, IL-4 and γ-IFN levels showed good correlation with the degree of protection. On the other hand, biodistribution studies in animals were performed with nanoparticles labelled with either 99mtechnetium or rhodamine B isothiocyanate. The biodistribution revealed that, after instillation, MAN-NP-HS moved from the palpebral area to the nasal region and, the gastrointestinal tract. This profile of distribution was different to that observed for free 99mTcO4− colloids, which remained for at least 24 h in the site of administration. In summary, mannosylated nanoparticles appear to be a safe and suitable adjuvant for conjunctival vaccination

Common evolutionary origin and birth-and-death process in the replication-independent histone H1 isoforms from vertebrate and invertebrate genomes

[Abstract]The H1 histone multigene family shows the greatest diversity of isoforms among the five histone gene families, including replication-dependent (RD) and replication-independent (RI) genes, according to their expression patterns along the cell cycle and their genomic organization. Although the molecular characterization of the RI isoforms has been well documented in vertebrates, similar information is lacking in invertebrates. In this work we provide evidence for a polyadenylation signature in the Mytilus “orphon” H1 genes similar to the polyadenylation characteristic of RI H1 genes. These mussel genes, together with the sea urchin H1δ genes, are part of a lineage of invertebrate “orphon” H1 genes that share several control elements with vertebrate RI H1 genes. These control elements include the UCE element, H1-box and H4-box. We provide evidence for a functional evolution of vertebrate and invertebrate RI H1 genes, which exhibit a clustering pattern by type instead of by species, with a marked difference from the somatic variants. In addition, these genes display an extensive silent divergence at the nucleotide level which is always significantly larger than the nonsilent. It thus appears that RI and RD H1 isoforms display similar long-term evolutionary patterns, best described by the birth-and-death model of evolution. Notably, this observation is in contrast with the theoretical belief that clustered RD H1 genes evolve in a concerted manner. The split of the RI group from the main RD group must therefore have occurred before the divergence between vertebrates and invertebrates about 815 million years ago. This was the result of the transposition of H1 genes to solitary locations in the genome.Xunta de Galicia; 10PX110304Canadá. Canadian Institutes of Health Research; MOP-5771

Mobile application for recommending courses in University Studies

Los Grados Universitarios en sus planes de estudios tienen asignados una serie de créditos optativos, en los que el estudiante tiene libertad para elegir las asignaturas que más le interesen. Esta elección suele ser bastante complicada para los estudiantes, que si bien cuentan con una guía docente de cada asignatura, que les permite conocer los contenidos teóricos y prácticos, los profesores que la imparten, la metodología y los criterios de evaluación, no suele ser suficiente para decidirse. En este contexto, los estudiantes están interesados en las valoraciones que le pueden ofrecer otros compañeros o compañeras que las cursaron, siendo una práctica habitual que los estudiantes recurran a los estudiantes de otros cursos para que les orienten en el proceso. No obstante, se debe tener cierta precaución con esta práctica, porque no todas las valoraciones que se reciban deberían tener la misma consideración. Por un lado, los intereses y propósitos del estudiante que pide opinión y los del estudiante que la proporciona puede que sean diferentes, y por otro lado, puede que la información se encuentre distorsionada por haber pasado por varios intermediarios. En este escenario, los sistemas de recomendación aparecen como herramientas para ayudar a la toma de decisiones generando recomendaciones a los estudiantes sobre un determinado objeto de estudio, a partir de preferencias y opiniones dadas por otros estudiantes que tienen unos intereses o preferencias similares a los suyos. En este proyecto se ha diseñado e implementado una aplicación móvil, fácil de manejar por los estudiantes y que permite que cualquier estudiante registrado en un determinado Grado pueda obtener una recomendación sobre las asignaturas que más le pueden interesar.University studies contain several optional subjects that can be chosen by students according to their preferences. To make this decision, student has a teaching guide of each subject which contains information about theoretical and practical contents, professors, methodology and assessment process. Despite being useful, in many cases this information is insufficient to make the best decision. In this context, students ask other peer students who have already studied the subject for advice. However, this process should be carried out cautiously. On one hand, the interests and goals of consulted students could be different to those of the student that requires the information, and on the other hand, the information could present a distorted vision of reality due to the intervention of many intermediaries. This project intends to offer recommendations that help students to choose the subjects that could be more interesting for him or her from opinions given by other peers. With this purpose, we design and develop a mobile application that allows students to obtain a recommendation about the more convenient subjects according to his/her preferences

Radiomarcaje y estudios de biodistribución de nanopartículas poliméricas como adyuvantes para la vacunación oftálmica frente a la brucelosis

Objetivos: Optimizar el radiomarcaje con 99mTc de nanopartículas de Gantrez® manosiladas y cargadas con el antígeno de Brucella Ovis (Man-NP-HS) y llevar a cabo estudios de biodistribución en ratón tras la administración de las nanopartículas por vía ocular. Metodología: Las Man-NP-HS se obtuvieron por el método de desplazamiento de disolvente. Se purificaron, liofilizaron y caracterizaron. A continuación, se marcaron con 74 MBq de 99mTcO4 - previamente reducido con una disolución ácida de cloruro de estaño, trabajando en ausencia de oxígeno y con un pH final de 4. El rendimiento del marcaje se evaluó mediante TLC. Los estudios de biodistribución se llevaron a cabo en ratones tras la administración oftálmica de la formulación y de un control de 99mTcO4 - libre. Para ello, se sacrificaron los animales a las 2 y a las 24 horas tras la administración ocular y se contaron los órganos en un contador gamma. Resultados: Se obtuvo un rendimiento de marcaje superior al 90%. Los estudios de biodistribución de 99mTc-Man-NP-HS permitieron detectar la actividad concentrada en mucosa nasal y ocular y tracto gastrointestinal tanto a las 2 como a las 24 horas, frente a la biodistribución de 99mTcO4 - libre que permaneció concentrado en la piel alrededor del ojo y en tracto gastrointestinal. Conclusión: Los estudios de biodistribución de 99mTc-Man-NP-HS tras administración oftálmica han permitido demostrar su biodistribución en mucosas y tracto gastrointestinal, característica indispensable como sistema de liberación de antígenos a través de mucosa ocular. Esto, junto con su elevada respuesta inmune, efectiva protección y no virulencia, convierte a estas nanopartículas en una vacuna ideal anti Brucelosis

“Nuevo procedimiento de síntesis y datos para la caracterización del ácido β-Mercaptoetilaminotriacético (MET)”

Se propone la síntesis del ácido β-mercaptoetilaminotriacético, HO2CCH2SC2H4N(CH2CO2H)2 (MET, H3A), en base a la reacción a fondo de cistamina, S2(C2H4NH2)2, con cloroacetato en medio alcalino, con rendimiento (70%) superior al descrito para la condensación de cisteamina (HSC2H4NH2) con cloroacetato (42%). Se discute la estructura más probable de las especies de MET en disolución a partir de los valores de pKa (1.93, 2.27, 3.52 y 9.05, para. I=0.1 M (KN03) y 25cº) y datos de (1H)-RMN. Los espectros IR y datos de análisis térmico (TG,ATD) informan del ordenamiento estructural de MET.H20 y MET.HC1.H20 en estado sólido