Anaerobic 4-hydroxyproline utilization: Discovery of a new glycyl radical enzyme in the human gut microbiome uncovers a widespread microbial metabolic activity.

The discovery of enzymes responsible for previously unappreciated microbial metabolic pathways furthers our understanding of host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions. We recently identified and characterized a new gut microbial glycyl radical enzyme (GRE) responsible for anaerobic metabolism of trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline (Hyp). Hyp dehydratase (HypD) catalyzes the removal of water from Hyp to generate Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C). This enzyme is encoded in the genomes of a diverse set of gut anaerobes and is prevalent and abundant in healthy human stool metagenomes. Here, we discuss the roles HypD may play in different microbial metabolic pathways as well as the potential implications of this activity for colonization resistance and pathogenesis within the human gut. Finally, we present evidence of anaerobic Hyp metabolism in sediments through enrichment culturing of Hyp-degrading bacteria, highlighting the wide distribution of this pathway in anoxic environments beyond the human gut

Estudio radiológico sobre prevalencia de displasia de cadera en pacientes caninos del Hospital Veterinario de la Universidad de Zaragoza en relación con la raza, sexo, edad y peso.

La displasia de cadera es la enfermedad osteoarticular más frecuente en perros y posee gran importancia en la clínica de pequeños animales. Aunque la principal causa que determina su aparición es el factor genético, ha quedado constatado científicamente la existencia de factores predisponentes (peso, edad, sexo, raza) que pueden incidir sobre el desarrollo de la enfermedad o agravar los síntomas clínicos. Para valorar la prevalencia de displasia y la relación entre dicha enfermedad y los factores predisponentes, se lleva a cabo un estudio retrospectivo en el HVUZ con 133 radiografías de cadera de animales que han acudido al hospital con sintomatología ortopédica. Tras la obtención de la prevalencia de displasia de cadera y la prevalencia de los distintos grados (B,C,D y E) se relacionan ambas prevalencias con la raza, el sexo, la edad y tamaño de los animales. En el estudio se obtuvo que la prevalencia de displasia era de 61,7%. En aquellos individuos diagnosticados como displásicos se determinó un predominio de grado C (21’1%). Al relacionar los distintos factores predisponentes con prevalencia y grado de displasia, se encontró relación significativa entre grados severos de displasia (D,E) y pertenencia a una raza citada en la bibliografía como predisponente de enfermedad, mientras que en las razas no contempladas en dicho grupo predominaron los grados leve y moderado de displasia (B,C). Igualmente el tamaño de los individuos resultó tener relación significativa con el grado de enfermedad. Por el contrario pese a que los resultados descriptivos muestran tendencias de interés, no se ha encontrado relación estadística significativa al enfrentar la variable displasia con la raza, el sexo, la edad o el tamaño de los animales. De la misma manera, no se ha encontrado relación significativa entre el sexo o la edad de los animales estudiados con el grado de displasia

Leaf Traits Drive Plant Diversity Effects On Litter Decomposition And FPOM Production In Streams

Biodiversity loss in riparian forests has the potential to alter rates of leaf litter decomposition in stream ecosystems. However, studies have reported the full range of positive, negative and no effects of plant diversity loss on decomposition, and there is currently no explanation for such inconsistent results. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether plant diversity loss affects other ecological processes related to decomposition, such as fine particulate organic matter production or detritivore growth, which precludes a thorough understanding of how detrital stream food webs are impacted by plant diversity loss. We used a microcosm experiment to examine the effects of plant diversity loss on litter decomposition, fine particulate organic matter production, and growth of a dominant leaf-shredding detritivore, using litter mixtures varying in species composition. We hypothesized that plant diversity loss would decrease the rates of all studied processes, but such effects would depend on the leaf traits present in litter mixtures (both their average values and their variability). Our findings partly supported our hypotheses, showing that plant diversity loss had a consistently negative effect on litter decomposition and fine particulate organic matter production (but not on detritivore growth) across litter mixtures, which was mediated by detritivores. Importantly, the magnitude of the diversity effect and the relative importance of different mechanisms underlying this effect (i.e., complementarity vs. selection) varied depending on the species composition of litter mixtures, mainly because of differences in litter nutritional quality and trait variability. Complementarity was prevalent but varied in size, with positive selection effects also occurring in some mixtures. Our results support the notion that loss of riparian plant species is detrimental to key stream ecosystem processes that drive detrital food webs, but that the magnitude of such effects largely depends on the the order of species loss.This study was funded by the ‘BIOFUNCTION’ project (CGL2014-52779-P) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and FEDER to LB and JPo, Basque Government funds (IT302-16) to JPo, and Ikerbasque start-up funds to LB. NLR and AM were supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Basque Government and a postdoctoral contract from the University of the Basque Country, respectively. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Resource preference of two stream detritivores in the laboratory largely differs from the supply of detritus below eucalypt plantations

Detritivores are pivotal in forest streams as they process detritus and promote secondary production. Many studies have addressed the preference of freshwater detritivores towards materials of differing quality. Nevertheless, few studies compare the resource preferences in the laboratory with the availability in the field. In the present study, feeding preferences of two stream detritivores (the caddisfly Sericostoma pyrenaicum and the amphipod Echinogammarus tarragonensis), over three native leaf species (alder, chestnut and oak) and an exotic species (eucalypt) were quantified in the laboratory. Preference for eucalypt leaves conditioned for 1, 2 and 3 weeks was also described. We then contrasted the preference patterns in the laboratory feeding experiments with a 15-month-long benthic standing stock time series of a stream below a native deciduous forest and another below a eucalypt plantation. Both detritivores preferred consuming alder leaves and more conditioned eucalypt leaves, although the amphipod was more selective than the caddisfly. The consumption preference in the laboratory was unmatched by the availability in the field, especially under eucalypt plantations and for the amphipod. Our results show that the strength of the preference for high-quality resources can differ among different taxa, which can modulate their response to land use changes.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study was funded by the Spanish Dirección General de Enseñanza Superior e Investigación Científica (Project DGESIC PB98-0151) and finanacial support in terms of a predoctoral Grant to A. Otermin from Basque Government

Temperature Sensitivity of Microbial Litter Decomposition in Freshwaters: Role of Leaf Litter Quality and Environmental Characteristics

Ongoing global warming is expected to alter temperature-dependent processes. Nevertheless, how co-occurring local drivers will influence temperature sensitivity of plant litter decomposition in lotic ecosystems remains uncertain. Here, we examined the temperature sensitivity of microbial-mediated decomposition, microbial respiration, fungal biomass and leaf nutrients of two plant species varying in litter quality. We also assessed whether the type of microbial community and stream water characteristics influence such responses to temperature. We incubated alder (Alnus glutinosa) and eucalypt (Eucalyptus globulus) litter discs in three streams differing in autumn–winter water temperature (range 4.6–8.9 °C). Simultaneously, in laboratory microcosms, litter discs microbially conditioned in these streams were incubated at 5, 10 and 15 °C with water from the conditioning stream and with a water control from an additional stream. Both in the field and in the laboratory, higher temperatures enhanced litter decomposition rates, except for eucalypt in the field. Leaf quality modified the response of decomposition to temperature in the field, with eucalypt leaf litter showing a lower increase, whereas it did not in the laboratory. The origin of microbial community only affected the decomposition rates in the laboratory, but it did not modify the response to temperature. Water quality only defined the phosphorus content of the leaf litter or the fungal biomass, but it did not modify the response to temperature. Our results suggest that the acceleration in decomposition by global warming will be shaped by local factors, mainly by leaf litter quality, in headwater streams.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research was financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government (CGL2010-22129-C04-01). S. Monroy was supported by a predoctoral grant by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BES-2012–060743) and a postdoctoral grant from the University of the Basque Country (DOKBERRI 2018 I)

Diminished neurogenic femoral artery vasoconstrictor response in a Zucker obese rat model: differential regulation of NOS and COX derivatives

Objective: Peripheral arterial disease is one of the macrovascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study addresses femoral artery regulation in a prediabetic model of obese Zucker rats (OZR) by examining cross-talk between endothelial and neural factors. Methods and Results: Arterial preparations from lean (LZR) and OZR were subjected to electrical field stimulation (EFS) on basal tone. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) isoform expression patterns were determined by immunohistochemical labelling and Western blotting. Results indicate significantly reduced noradrenergic contractions in preparations from OZR compared with those of LZR. Functional inhibition of endothelial NOS (eNOS) indicated a predominant role of this isoform in LZR and its modified activity in OZR. Neural (nNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS) were activated and their expression was higher in femoral arteries from OZR. Neurotransmission modulated by largeconductance Ca2+-activated (BKCa) or voltage-dependent (KV) K+ channels did not seem compromised in the obese animals. Endothelial COX-1 and COX-2 were expressed in LZR and an additional adventitial location of COX-2 was also observed in OZR, explaining the higher COX-2 protein levels detected in this group. Prostanoids derived from both isoforms helped maintain vasoconstriction in LZR while in OZR only COX-2 was active. Superoxide anion inhibition reduced contractions in endothelium-intact arteries from OZR. Conclusions: Endothelial dysfunction led to reduced neurogenic vasoconstriction in femoral arteries from OZR. In a setting of obesity, NO-dependent nNOS and iNOS dilation activity could be an alternative mechanism to offset COX-2- and reactive oxygen species-mediated vasoconstriction, along with impaired endothelial NO relaxation

Land use drives detritivore size structure and decomposition through shifts in resource quality and quantity

Land use change and nutrient pollution are two pervasive stressors that can modify carbon cycling, as they influence the inputs and the transformation of detritus. Understanding their impact on stream food webs and on diversity is particularly pressing, as streams are largely fuelled by detrital material received from the adjacent riparian environment. Here we assess how a switch from native deciduous forest to Eucalyptus plantations and nutrient enrichment alter the size distribution of stream detritivore communities and decomposition rates of detritus. As expected, more detritus resulted in higher size-independent, or overall, abundance (i.e. higher intercept of size spectra). This change in overall abundance was mainly driven by a change of the relative contribution of large taxa (Amphipoda and Trichoptera), which changed from an average relative abundance of 55.5 to 77.2 % between the sites compared for resource quantity differences in our study. In contrast, detritus quality modified the relative abundance of large vs small individuals (i.e. size spectra slopes), with shallow slopes of size spectra (proportionately more large individuals) associated with sites with nutrient-richer waters and steeper slopes (proportionately fewer large individuals) associated with sites draining Eucalyptus plantations. Decomposition rates of alder leaves due to macroinvertebrates increased from 0.0003 to 0.0142 when relative contribution of large organisms increased (modelled slopes of size spectra: −1.00 and − 0.33, respectively), highlighting the importance of large sized individuals for ecosystem functioning. Our study reveals that land use change and nutrient pollution can greatly impair the transfer of energy through the detrital or ‘brown’ food web by means of intra- and inter-specific responses to quality and quantity of the detritus. These responses enable linking land use change and nutrient pollution to ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling.This work was carried out with financial support from the EU Commission within the RivFunction project (contract EVK1-CT-2001-00088). AL acknowledges the financial support by the mobility program Ikermugikortasuna-2019 of the Basque Government

Efectividad del uso del Heberprot-P en gerontes con úlceras de pie diabético

Introduction: Heberprot-P is a treatment that has proved to be effective in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.Objective: to characterize the evolution of the elderly with diabetic foot ulcers treated with Heberprot-P in Pinar de Rio.Methods: an observational, descriptive, longitudinal and retrospective study was carried out in the elderly treated with Heberprot-P for presenting diabetic foot ulcers in the period 2017-2020. The target group comprised 140 patients, and all of them were studied. Descriptive statistics was applied using absolute and relative percentage frequencies.Results: it was found a predominance of female patients (55,72 %), of the age group between 60 and 69 years (60 %) and with neuro-infectious diabetic foot (67,14 %). Ulcer infection was detected in 10 patients (7,1 %) and was associated with lack of granulation (p=0,003; OR=16.11; 95%CI=1.90-726.03). Amputation was required in 13,6 % of patients. An association was found between non-granulation and the requirement for amputation (p<0,05); 37,9 % of the patients presented some adverse response to the administration of Heberprot-P.Conclusions: the treatment with Heberprot-P showed encouraging results. The presence of adverse events was relatively high, being these of low repercussions,  which ratifies Heberprot-P as an effective and safe treatment to accelerate the healing of diabetic foot ulcers and prevent the need for amputation.Introducción: el Heberprot-P es un fármaco que ha demostrado ser eficaz en el tratamiento de las úlceras del pie diabético.Objetivo: caracterizar la evolución de los gerontes con úlceras de pie diabético tratados con Heberprot-P en Pinar de Río.Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo longitudinal y retrospectivo en gerontes tratados con Heberprot-P por presentar úlceras del pie diabético en el periodo 2017-2020. El universo estuvo constituido por 140 pacientes, se estudió la totalidad. Se empleó estadística descriptiva mediante frecuencias absolutas y relativas porcentuales.Resultados: se encontró predominio de pacientes de sexo femenino (55,72 %), del grupo de edades entre 60 y 69 años (60 %) y con pie diabético neuro-infeccioso (67,14 %). La infección de la úlcera se detectó en 10 pacientes (7,1 %) y se asoció con la falta de granulación (p=0,003; OR=16,11; IC95%=1,90–726,03). El 13,6 % de los pacientes requirió de amputación. Se encontró asociación entre la no granulación y el requerimiento de amputación (p<0,05). El 37,9 % de los pacientes presentaron alguna reacción a la administración del Heberprot-P.Conclusiones: el tratamiento con Heberprot-P mostró resultados positivos. La presencia de eventos adversos fue relativamente alta, lo que ratifica al Heberprot-P como un fármaco eficaz y seguro para acelerar la curación de las úlceras del pie diabético y prevenir la necesidad de amputación

Effectiveness of the application of Heberprot-P in the elderly with diabetic foot ulcers

Introducción: el Heberprot-P es un fármaco que ha demostrado ser eficaz en el tratamiento de las úlceras del pie diabético.Objetivo: caracterizar la evolución de los gerontes con úlceras de pie diabético tratados con Heberprot-P en Pinar de Río.Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo longitudinal y retrospectivo en gerontes tratados con Heberprot-P por presentar úlceras del pie diabético en el periodo 2017-2020. El universo estuvo constituido por 140 pacientes, se estudió la totalidad. Se empleó estadística descriptiva mediante frecuencias absolutas y relativas porcentuales.Resultados: se encontró predominio de pacientes de sexo femenino (55,72 %), del grupo de edades entre 60 y 69 años (60 %) y con pie diabético neuro-infeccioso (67,14 %). La infección de la úlcera se detectó en 10 pacientes (7,1 %) y se asoció con la falta de granulación (p=0,003; OR=16,11; IC95%=1,90–726,03). El 13,6 % de los pacientes requirió de amputación. Se encontró asociación entre la no granulación y el requerimiento de amputación (p<0,05). El 37,9 % de los pacientes presentaron alguna reacción a la administración del Heberprot-P.Conclusiones: el tratamiento con Heberprot-P mostró resultados positivos. La presencia de eventos adversos fue relativamente alta, lo que ratifica al Heberprot-P como un fármaco eficaz y seguro para acelerar la curación de las úlceras del pie diabético y prevenir la necesidad de amputación.Introduction: Heberprot-P is a treatment that has proved to be effective in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.Objective: to characterize the evolution of the elderly with diabetic foot ulcers treated with Heberprot-P in Pinar de Rio.Methods: an observational, descriptive, longitudinal and retrospective study was carried out in the elderly treated with Heberprot-P for presenting diabetic foot ulcers in the period 2017-2020. The target group comprised 140 patients, and all of them were studied. Descriptive statistics was applied using absolute and relative percentage frequencies.Results: it was found a predominance of female patients (55,72 %), of the age group between 60 and 69 years (60 %) and with neuro-infectious diabetic foot (67,14 %). Ulcer infection was detected in 10 patients (7,1 %) and was associated with lack of granulation (p=0,003; OR=16.11; 95%CI=1.90-726.03). Amputation was required in 13,6 % of patients. An association was found between non-granulation and the requirement for amputation (p<0,05); 37,9 % of the patients presented some adverse response to the administration of Heberprot-P.Conclusions: the treatment with Heberprot-P showed encouraging results. The presence of adverse events was relatively high, being these of low repercussions,  which ratifies Heberprot-P as an effective and safe treatment to accelerate the healing of diabetic foot ulcers and prevent the need for amputation

Ergonomía y discapacidad : Ergowork una alianza estratégica para la innovación

RESUMEN: Las Alianzas para el conocimiento tienen por objeto consolidar la capacidad innovadora del nuevo espacio europeo potenciando procesos de innovación en la educación superior, el sector empresarial y los principales agentes del contexto social donde se implementa la estrategia. Con este objeto la Asociación Internacional de Psicología Evolutiva y Educativa, INFAD junto con Universidades y Organizaciones empresariales procedentes de Bélgica, Italia, Reino Unido, Eslovenia y Polonia impulsaron el proyecto ERGOWORK, aprobado por la Comisión Europea en el marco del “Lifelong Learning Programme. Erasmus”, dirigido a desarrollar enfoques nuevos, multidisciplinarios e innovadores entorno a la ERGONOMIA como disciplina. ERGOWORK plantea soluciones concretas a necesidades educativas y empresariales. Mediante una cooperación triangulada ofrece diseños curriculares específicos en el ámbito de la Ergonomía, cuyo objetivo no sólo es contribuir a innovar y homogeneizar la oferta en el actual espacio europeo, sino además ofrecer una formación de calidad que dote de altas competencias a los estudiantes posibilitando su acceso al mercado laboral y contribuyendo a resolver las propias demandas de los empleadores.ABSTRACT: Knowledge partnerships are created to strengthen the innovative capacity of the new European context through enhancing innovation processes in higher education, business and key actors of the social context. With this aim, the International Association of Developmental and Educational Psychology, "INFAD Association" along with Universities, Business and Social organizations from Belgium, Italy, United Kingdom, Slovenia and Poland boosted ERGO WORK project, approved by the European Commission, and conducted under the Lifelong Learning Programme (Erasmus). A project which aims at developing multidisciplinary and innovative approaches to the ERGONOMICS as a discipline, as well as seeking to improve the design of jobs and workplaces for people with disabilities. ERGOWORK project raises to provide concrete solutions to these educational and business needs. The "Knowledge Triangle" (Higher Educational Institutions, Companies and VET and Social organizations), created within the project, offers specific curricula in the field of ergonomics, which aims to not only contribute to innovate and standardize supply in the current European context, but also help to provide quality training and high skills, allowing students access to the labor market and helping to meet the employers need