Diet of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba)in southern Spanish waters

Identifiable food remains were analyzed from 46 stomachs of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in southern Spain between 2007 and 2014. Results suggest that the species feeds mainly on mesopelagic and neritic fish, but also on oceanic squids. Fish species of the family Myctophidae were the main prey in terms of numerical importance and reconstructed prey weight (62% N and 29% W), followed by squids of the family Ommastrephidae (20% W) and bogue (Boops boops) (15% W). The most important prey taxa according to the General Importance Index (GII) were C. maderensis, Ommastrephidae gen. spp., Notoscopelus spp., and M. punctatum. Higher number of mesopelagic myctophids were found in dolphins from the Mediterranean (73% vs. 29% N), while more demersal gobiids and European hake (Merluccius merluccius) were found in those from the Atlantic (44% vs. 1% and 8% vs. <1% N), where a more varied diet was also observed. Differences were also seen in the seasonal importance of some prey, as well as between years, sexes, and maturity states. The diet composition suggests that most of feeding occurred in oceanic regions, during twilight and night hours, while the observed dietary variation may reflect differences in topography, and changes in the prey availability.1,46

Polyphenol extraction from grape wastes: Solvent and pH effect

[EN] World wine industry transforms 10% - 25% of raw grapes into residues, mainly represented by lees, grape marcs, seeds and stems. These by-products are a rich source of polyphenols and therefore they can be used to produce new added value products. The aim of this work wasto determine the best process conditions(treatment time, % of ethanol and pH of the solvent)during solid-liquid extraction of polyphenolsfrom grape marcs, by analyzing the phenolic content of the extracts, namely: total polyphenol content, flavanols, flavonols, phenolic acids and anthocyanins. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was also determined. An extraction time of two hours was enough since longer times did not increase process yields. Best extraction yields were obtained for 75% ethanol solutions. Basic pH led to better yields in extracting media with low percentage of ethanol, whereas acid pH presented better extraction yields in extracting media with high percentage of ethanol. Among all the polyphenols extracted, anthocyanins were themost abundant representing over 40% of the total. In general, the best process conditions were 2 h ofextraction in a 75% EtOH liquid mixture at pH =2.The authors wish to acknowledge to the Enology Laboratory of the Institute of Food Engineering for Development-Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain) for providing the grape marcs used in this work, and FOMESA for the financial support. Author Luis Mayor acknowledges JCI2009-04923 grant to MINECO (Spain).Librán Cuervas-Mons, CM.; Mayor López, L.; García Castelló, EM.; Vidal Brotons, DJ. (2013). Polyphenol extraction from grape wastes: Solvent and pH effect. Agricultural Sciences. 4(9B):56-62. https://doi.org/10.4236/as.2013.49B010S566249

Understanding the retreat of the Jurassic Cantabrian coast (N. Spain): comprehensive monitoring and 4D evolution model of the Tazones Lighthouse landslide

Forecasting coastal dynamics and sea cliff retreat under different sea level rise scenarios requires a good understanding of the conditioning factors and their relative contribution to cliff stability. The so-called Jurassic Cantabrian Coast extends along 76 km of the coastline of the Asturias region (N Spain) and is well-known worldwide due to its paleontological heritage, in particular the presence of dinosaur remains and footprints. The abundance of stratigraphic, paleontological and tectonic studies contrasts with the scarcity of studies focused on the stability of this rocky coastline where cliffs predominate, sometimes exceeding 120 m in height. In fact, evidence of current and recent instability processes can be observed along the entire coastline. In this regard, continuous monitoring is crucial to understand ongoing instabilities in rocky coastlines, as in these settings some instabilities might initiate as slow movements that induce subtle topographic changes whose detection from either satellite or aerial imagery is problematic due to the spatial and temporal resolutions.This research is part of 1) the “COSINES” Project [CGL2017-83909-R], Call 2017 for RETOS Projects funded by the Spanish Economy, Industry and Competitiveness Ministry-Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO), the Spanish Research Agency-Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the European Regional Development Found (FEDER) and 2) the GEOCANCOSTA research group, supported by the Asturian Regional Government (Spain) [grant number GRUPIN-IDI-2018-184]

Ecología trófica del delfín listado en aguas del Mar de Alborán y el Golfo de Cádiz

Existe muy poca información sobre la dieta del delfín listado (Stenella coeruleoalba) en aguas del sur de España. En este estudio se analizaron los estómagos de 61 delfines varados en Andalucía en los últimos ocho años (2007-2014). Diez estómagos estaban vacios y de los 51 individuos restantes, 35 vararon en la costa del Mar de Alborán y 11 en el Golfo de Cádiz. Para las 5 muestras restantes no se dispone de localidad concreta. Los restos de las presas en los estómagos consistieron sobre todo en estructuras duras: otolitos, cristalinos y unos pocos huesos de peces, así como mandíbulas y cristalinos de cefalópodos. No aparecieron otro tipo de restos lo que parece indicar que los individuos no se habían alimentado recientemente. Para caracterizar la dieta se calcularon tres índices (calculados para cada categoría de presa): frecuencia de aparición en los estómagos, número de individuos y peso reconstruido y sus porcentajes respectivos. El delfín listado parece ser una especie predominantemente piscívora (se identificaron restos de 5682 peces frente a solamente 210 cefalópodos) que se alimenta de especies mesopelágicas principalmente. La familia más importante tanto en número como en frecuencia de aparición fue Myctophidae, principalmente Ceratoscopelus maderensis y Myctophum punctatum a las que pertenecieron casi la mitad de los peces identificados (36,4%N, 35,3%F y 12,3%N, 25,5%F, respectivamente). También se identificó Maurolicus muelleri (Sternoptychidae 13,4%N y 17,6%F). Otras familias identificadas presentan una distribución más costera: Sparidae (Boops boops) y Carangidae (Trachurus sp.) (4,5%N, 9,8%F y 1,2%N, 3,9%F, respectivamente). Los cefalópodos identificados pertenecieron a 11 familias siendo la más abundante Ommastrephidae (26,7%N y 39,2%F). Otras familias incluyen representantes oceánicos, Brachioteuthidae (16,7%N y 21,5%F); Chiroteuthidae (6,7%N y 9,8%F); Enoploteuthidae (4,8%N y 3,9%F), Ancistrocheridae (0.5%N y 2%F) y otros de distribución más costera, Sepiolidae (19%N y 19,6%F), Sepiidae (5,7%N y 3,9%F) y Loliginidae (3,8%N y 5,9%F)

Severe manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 in children and adolescents: from COVID-19 pneumonia to multisystem inflammatory syndrome: a multicentre study in pediatric intensive care units in Spain

Background Multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C) has been described as a novel and often severe presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. We aimed to describe the characteristics of children admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) presenting with MIS-C in comparison with those admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection with other features such as COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods A multicentric prospective national registry including 47 PICUs was carried out. Data from children admitted with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or fulfilling MIS-C criteria (with or without SARS-CoV-2 PCR confirmation) were collected. Clinical, laboratory and therapeutic features between MIS-C and non-MIS-C patients were compared. Results Seventy-four children were recruited. Sixty-one percent met MIS-C definition. MIS-C patients were older than non-MIS-C patients (p = 0.002): 9.4 years (IQR 5.5-11.8) vs 3.4 years (IQR 0.4-9.4). A higher proportion of them had no previous medical history of interest (88.2% vs 51.7%, p = 0.005). Non-MIS-C patients presented more frequently with respiratory distress (60.7% vs 13.3%, p < 0.001). MIS-C patients showed higher prevalence of fever (95.6% vs 64.3%, p < 0.001), diarrhea (66.7% vs 11.5%, p < 0.001), vomits (71.1% vs 23.1%, p = 0.001), fatigue (65.9% vs 36%, p = 0.016), shock (84.4% vs 13.8%, p < 0.001) and cardiac dysfunction (53.3% vs 10.3%, p = 0.001). MIS-C group had a lower lymphocyte count (p < 0.001) and LDH (p = 0.001) but higher neutrophil count (p = 0.045), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (p < 0.001), C-reactive protein (p < 0.001) and procalcitonin (p < 0.001). Patients in the MIS-C group were less likely to receive invasive ventilation (13.3% vs 41.4%, p = 0.005) but were more often treated with vasoactive drugs (66.7% vs 24.1%, p < 0.001), corticosteroids (80% vs 44.8%, p = 0.003) and immunoglobulins (51.1% vs 6.9%, p < 0.001). Most patients were discharged from PICU by the end of data collection with a median length of stay of 5 days (IQR 2.5-8 days) in the MIS-C group. Three patients died, none of them belonged to the MIS-C group. Conclusions MIS-C seems to be the most frequent presentation among critically ill children with SARS-CoV-2 infection. MIS-C patients are older and usually healthy. They show a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and shock and are more likely to receive vasoactive drugs and immunomodulators and less likely to need mechanical ventilation than non-MIS-C patients

HTLV-1 infection in solid organ transplant donors and recipients in Spain

HTLV-1 infection is a neglected disease, despite infecting 10-15 million people worldwide and severe illnesses develop in 10% of carriers lifelong. Acknowledging a greater risk for developing HTLV-1 associated illnesses due to immunosuppression, screening is being widely considered in the transplantation setting. Herein, we report the experience with universal HTLV testing of donors and recipients of solid organ transplants in a survey conducted in Spain. All hospitals belonging to the Spanish HTLV network were invited to participate in the study. Briefly, HTLV antibody screening was performed retrospectively in all specimens collected from solid organ donors and recipients attended since the year 2008. A total of 5751 individuals were tested for HTLV antibodies at 8 sites. Donors represented 2312 (42.2%), of whom 17 (0.3%) were living kidney donors. The remaining 3439 (59.8%) were recipients. Spaniards represented nearly 80%. Overall, 9 individuals (0.16%) were initially reactive for HTLV antibodies. Six were donors and 3 were recipients. Using confirmatory tests, HTLV-1 could be confirmed in only two donors, one Spaniard and another from Colombia. Both kidneys of the Spaniard were inadvertently transplanted. Subacute myelopathy developed within 1 year in one recipient. The second recipient seroconverted for HTLV-1 but the kidney had to be removed soon due to rejection. Immunosuppression was stopped and 3 years later the patient remains in dialysis but otherwise asymptomatic. The rate of HTLV-1 is low but not negligible in donors/recipients of solid organ transplants in Spain. Universal HTLV screening should be recommended in all donor and recipients of solid organ transplantation in Spain. Evidence is overwhelming for very high virus transmission and increased risk along with the rapid development of subacute myelopathy

Geographical trends of the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) in Andalusian coastal waters inferred from stranding data.

The Alborán Sea hosts the largest population of common dolphin in the Mediterranean Sea. This species of cetacean has the highest number of recorded strandings on the Andalusian coast. We analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns of 633 short-beaked common dolphins stranded on this coast during the period 1996-2009. The spatial distribution of the strandings differed between the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of the Andalusian littoral. Mean body size was 163.3 ± 35.6 cm, although body size was not homogeneously distributed along the coast. These cetaceans tended to be larger on the Atlantic coast than on the rest of the Andalusian coast. Although others factors must be taken into account, the stranding patterns may be explained by the density of short-beaked common dolphins in inshore waters. The number of strandings suggests intense use by this species of the continental shelf along the Andalusian coast, with the possibility of conflict between dolphins and human activities in the Alborán Sea