Trace elements and C and N isotope composition in two mushroom species from a mine-spill contaminated site

Fungi play a key role in the functioning of soil in terrestrial ecosystems, and in particular in the remediation of degraded soils. The contribution of fungi to carbon and nutrient cycles, along with their capability to mobilise soil trace elements, is well-known. However, the importance of life history strategy for these functions has not yet been thoroughly studied. This study explored the soil-fungi relationship of two wild edible fungi, the ectomycorrhizal Laccaria laccata and the saprotroph Volvopluteus gloiocephalus. Fruiting bodies and surrounding soils in a mine-spill contaminated area were analysed. Isotope analyses revealed Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies were 15N-enriched when compared to Volvopluteus gloiocephalus, likely due to the transfer of 15N-depleted compounds to their host plant. Moreover, Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies δ13C values were closer to host plant values than surrounding soil, while Volvopluteus gloiocephalus matched the δ13C composition to that of the soil. Fungal species presented high bioaccumulation and concentrations of Cd and Cu in their fruiting bodies. Human consumption of these fruiting bodies may represent a toxicological risk due to their elevated Cd concentrations

Combining Constructed Wetlands and UV Photolysis for the Advanced Removal of Organic Matter, Nitrogen, and Emerging Pollutants from Wastewater

This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Technologies for Water and Wastewater Treatment[Abstract] This study reports the performance of a three-step lab-scale system including a hybrid digester (HD), a vertical flow (VF) constructed wetland, and a photodegradation (PD) lamp, with two different arrangements regarding the position of the recirculation point. In addition to total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and nitrogen compounds, removal of the following pollutants was investigated: paracetamol (ACE), ofloxacin (OFL), caffeine (CAF), ketoprofen (KET), ibuprofen (IBU), clofibric acid (ACB), bisphenol A (BPA), and sotalol (SOT). An excellent performance of HD was achieved on the elimination of TSS (82.2 ± 18.5% on average) and COD (63.9 ± 4.1%). TSS and COD removal increased to 91.2 ± 0.4% and 83.4 ± 2.9%, respectively, for the combined HD–VF system. Ammonia removal was 57.0 ± 7.8% in the VF unit while significant denitrification occurred in the HD. The overall HD–VF–PD system achieved mean removals of 100% for OFL, KET, SOT, and IBU, 98 ± 2% for ACE, 87 ± 8% for CAF, 81 ± 38% for ACB and 26 ± 9% for BPA. The removal of ACE, OFL, CAF, and IBU was mostly by biodegradation in the HD and VF units while the PD unit was responsible for the removal of KET, ACB, and SOT.This research is part of the project CTQ2015-71238-R (MINECO/FEDER, funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), the project TED2021-132667B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR, and projects GPC ED431B 2020/52 and GPC ED431B 2019/44 (funded by the Xunta de Galicia)Xunta de Galicia; ED431B 2020/52Xunta de Galicia; ED431B 2019/4

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in bivalve mollusks and marine sediments

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater pose the question of whether this new pandemic virus could be released into watercourses and potentially continue to finally reach coastal waters. In this study, we employed two bivalve molluscan species from the genus Ruditapes as sentinel organisms to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 signals in the marine coastal environment. Estuarine sediments from the natural clam banks were also analyzed. Viral RNA was detected by RT-qPCR, targeting IP4, E and N1 genomic regions. Positive samples were also subjected to a PMAxx-triton viability RT-qPCR assay in order to discriminate between intact and altered capsids, obtaining indirect information about the viability of the virus. SARS-CoV-2 RNA traces were detected in 9/12 clam samples by RT-qPCR, from which 4 were positive for two different target regions. Viral quantification ranged from <LoQ to 4.48 Log genomic copies/g of digestive tissue. Regarding the sediment samples, 3/12 were positive by RT-qPCR, but only IP4 region was successfully amplificated. Quantification values for sediment samples ranged from <LoQ to 3.60 Log genomic copies/g of sediment. RNA signals disappeared in the PMAxx-triton viability RT-qPCR assay, indicating non-infectious potential. In addition, the recently discovered human-specific gut associated bacteriophage crAssphage was also quantified as a biomarker for the presence of human-derived wastewater contamination on the study area. CrAssphage was detected in 100% of both types of samples with quantification values ranging from <LoQ to 5.94 Log gc/g digestive tissue and from <LoQ to 4.71 Log gc/g sediment. Statistical analysis also showed that quantification levels for the crAssphage in clams are significantly higher than in sediments. These findings represent the first detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the marine environment, demonstrating that it can reach these habitats and make contact with the marine lifeThis study was partly supported by Grant ED431C 2018/18 from the Consellería de Educación, Universidade e Formación Profesional, Xunta de Galicia (Spain)S

Plant and soil metal concentrations in serpentine soils and their influence on the diet of extensive livestock animals

Background: Grazing circuits and resources consumed differ strongly throughout the year and within a territory. For this reason, animals’ diet composition, as well as their exposure to metals, is variable. No studies have been performed on how habitat use affects the metal concentrations to which sheep and goats reared in serpentine soil areas are exposed. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the metal exposure of grazing animals raised in a serpentine soil area of the north-east of Portugal, taking into account the spatial distribution of metal concentrations in soils and plants. Methods: The habitat use and foraging behaviour of six flocks of sheep and goats were studied. The concentrations of Ca, Mg, Mn, Cr and Ni were determined in the soils and plant species most consumed by those animals. Results: The highest Mg, Mn, Cr and Ni concentrations were found in the soils of the ultramafic complex. Ni concentrations above the recommended threshold for agricultural soils (30 μg/g) were found in some sites. A positive correlation between Ni concentration in soils and plants was found (0.634). Ni concentrations higher than 10 μg/g were found in some samples of the following plant species: Sorghum × drummondii (Steud.) Millsp. & Chase,Quercus rotundifolia Lam., Cytisus multiflorus (L’Hér.) Sweet, Cistus ladanifer L. and Erica scoparia L. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in metal concentrations of the plants most consumed by each flock were observed. Conclusion: Grazing circuits have an important role in the metal exposure of animals raised in this serpentine soil area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Removal of Emerging Pollutants by a 3-Step System: Hybrid Digester, Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland and Photodegradation Post-treatments

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] The removal of emerging pollutants from municipal wastewater was studied for the first time using a three-step pilot-scale system: 1) hybrid digester (HD) as first step, 2) subsurface vertical flow constructed wetland (VF) as second step, and 3) photodegradation (PD) unit as third step or post-treatment. The HD and VF units were built and operated in series with effluent recirculation at pilot scale. For the PD post-treatment, three alternatives were studied at lab-scale, i) UVC irradiation at 254 nm (0.5 h exposure time), ii) UVA irradiation at 365 nm using a TiO2-based photocatalyst and iii) sunlight irradiation using a TiO2-based photocatalyst, the last two for 1 and 2 h. Alternative iii) was also tested at pilot-scale. Degradation of nine compounds was evaluated: acetaminophen (ACE), caffeine (CAF), carbamazepine (CBZ), ketoprofen (KET), ibuprofen (IBU), diclofenac (DCL), clofibric acid (ACB), bisphenol A (BPA), and sotalol (SOT). Overall, the HD-VF-UVC system completely removed (>99.5 %) ACE, CAF, KET, IBU, DCL and ACB, and to a lesser extent SOT (98 %), BPA (83 %) and CBZ (51 %). On the other hand, the HD-VF-UVA/TiO2 system (at 2 h) achieved >99.5 % removal of ACE, CAF, KET, IBU and DCL while ACB, BPA, CBZ and SOT were degraded by 83 %, 81 %, 78 % and 68 %, respectively. Working also at 2 h of exposure time, in summer conditions, the HD-VF-Sol/TiO2 system achieved >99.5 % removal of ACE, CAF, KET, IBU, DCL and ACB, and to a minor extent BPA (80 %), SOT (74 %) and CBZ (69 %). Similar results, although slightly lower for SOT (60 %) and CBZ (59 %), were obtained in the pilot sunlight plus TiO2 catalyst unit. However, the use of sunlight irradiation with a TiO2-based photocatalyst clearly showed lower removal efficiency in autumn conditions (i.e., 47 % SOT, 31 % CBZ).This research was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through project CTQ2015-71238-R (MINECO/FEDER), and the Xunta de Galicia (project GPC ED431B 2020/52 and project GPC ED431B 2019/44), respectively. Funding for open access charge: Universidade da Coruña/CISUGXunta de Galicia; GPC ED431B 2020/52Xunta de Galicia; GPC ED431B 2019/4

Análisis de expresión diferencial in silico de genes involucrados en la aclimatación a baja temperatura en Eucalyptus nitens mediante mRNA-Seq.

106 p.En Chile, según información del INFOR, en el año 2011 la superficie plantada de Eucalyptus spp. Fue de 740.360 hectáreas, de las cuales un 70,7% corresponde a Eucalyptus globulus y un 29,3% a Eucalyptus nitens. La importancia de este género se debe a su amplia adaptabilidad, rápido crecimiento, excelente madera y gran producción de biomasa. Sin embargo, la gran sensibilidad de E. globulus a las heladas restringe geográficamente la extensión de sus lantaciones, causando pérdidas económicas para los productores al considerar los años de crecimiento perdidos, el costo de reforestación y la pérdida de calidad de la madera. Por su parte, E. nitens es mucho más resistente a temperaturas congelantes, lo que lo convierte en una alternativa para plantar en rangos de ambiente donde E. globulus no puede ser plantado satisfactoriamente. Estudios revelan que la resistencia a baja temperatura de Eucalyptus spp. Posee un control a nivel genómico, lo que permite desarrollar mejoramiento genético en esta especie. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar genes involucrados en el proceso de aclimatación a baja temperatura en E. nitens, mediante el análisis bioinformático de bibliotecas mRNA-Seq, ya que esta especie presenta una mayor tolerancia a temperaturas de congelamiento.Se realizaron bibliotecas de expresión mediante secuenciación del tipo NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing) de plantas de E. nitens sometidas a cuatro tratamientos de aclimatación, simulando la variación estacional anual, en condiciones de laboratorio (NA: No aclimatado, AAH: Aclimatado antes de la helada, ADH: Aclimatado despu´es de la helada y DA: Desaclimatado). Los análisis bioinformáticos involucraron el pre-procesamiento y limpieza de los datos obtenidos por secuenciación Ion Torrent, mapeo de las lecturas utilizando la información del genoma de referencia de Eucalyptus grandis, seguido de un análisis de expresión diferencial in silico en donde se compararon condiciones en pares (NA/AAH, NA/ADH, NA/DA, AAH/ADH, AAH/DA y ADH/DA), para identificar y caracterizar los genes involucrados en la aclimatación a baja temperatura en E. nitens. Luego se realizó un análisis de ontología genética de los genes diferencialmente expresados con el fin de conocer el significado biológico de estos, en base al proceso biológico, componente celular y función molecular asociada.El rango de genes diferencialmente expresados que fueron identificados, vario desde 126 a 590 en cada una de las comparaciones de tratamientos, donde la mayor parte de los genes de acuerdo a la clasificación por ontología genética, corresponden a genes que participan en procesos metabólicos, respuesta a estímulos, respuesta a estrés, procesos iosinteticos, procesos celulares, actividad catalítica, asociados al citoplasma, cloroplastos, membrana plasmática, pared celular y region extracelular./ABSTRACT: In Chile, according to INFOR, in 2011 the total forest area of Eucalyptus spp. was 740.360 hectares, of them 70,7% are Eucalyptus globulus and 29,3% Eucalyptus nitens. The importance of this genus is based on its wide adaptability, rapid growth and excellent wood quality.However, the main planted species; E. globulus is sensitive to freezing temperatures limiting the extension of its plantations to areas without frequent frost or areas with only episodic occurrence of temperatures below zero. In these areas this species is replaced by E. nitens, which exhibits a higher frost tolerance. Nevertheless, studies have shown that the frost tolerance in Eucalyptus spp. is controlled by genetic factors. The knowledge of genes and molecular processes involved in the cold tolerance will allow to improve breeding programs, focusing in the selection of frost tolerance genotypes and hybridization. The objective of this study was to identify genes involved in the molecular and cellular process of cold acclimation in E. nitens.Expression libraries were made by NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing) from plants of E. nitens subjected to four treatments acclimation, simulating the annual seasonal variation in controlled conditions (NA: Non-acclimated, AAH: Acclimated before frost, ADH: Acclimated after frost and DA: De-acclimated). The bioinformatics analysis included: 1) data preprocessing of the reads generated by Ion Torrent sequencing, 2) reads mapping to the reference genome of Eucalyptus grandis, 3) the generation of a table of reads counts followed by the analysis of differential gene expression in silico, where conditions were compared in pairs (NA/AAH, NA/ADH, NA/DA, AAH/ADH, AAH/DA and ADH/DA), to identify genes involved in acclimation to process in E. nitens by the differential expressed genes identified. The numbers of differentially expressed genes were from 126 to 590 in each treatment comparisons, where most of genes according to Gene Ontology (GO), were associated to metabolic processes, response to stimulus, response to stress, biosynthetic processes, cellular processes, catalytic activity; and associated with the cytoplasm, chloroplasts, plasma membrane, cell wall and extracellular region

Active Aging Promotion: Results from the Vital Aging

Active aging is one of the terms in the semantic network of aging well, together with others such as successful, productive, competent aging. All allude to the new paradigm in gerontology, whereby aging is considered from a positive perspective. Most authors in the field agree active aging is a multidimensional concept, embracing health, physical and cognitive fitness, positive affect and control, social relationships and engagement. This paper describes Vital Aging, an individual active aging promotion program implemented through three modalities: Life, Multimedia, and e-Learning. The program was developed on the basis of extensive evidence about individual determinants of active aging. The different versions of Vital Aging are described, and four evaluation studies (both formative and summative) are reported. Formative evaluation reflected participants’ satisfaction and expected changes; summative evaluations yielded some quite encouraging results using quasi-experimental designs: those who took part in the programs increased their physical exercise, significantly improved their diet, reported better memory, had better emotional balance, and enjoyed more cultural, intellectual, affective, and social activities than they did before the course, thus increasing their social relationships. These results are discussed in the context of the common literature within the field and, also, taking into account the limitations of the evaluations accomplished

Alterations in respiratory function test three months after hospitalisation for covid-19 pneumonia: Value of determining nitric oxide diffusion

Three to four months after hospitalisation for COVID-19 pneumonia, the most frequently described alteration in respiratory function tests (RFTs) is decreased carbon monoxide transfer capacity (DLCO). Methods: This is a prospective cohort study that included patients hospitalised because of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, three months after their discharge. A clinical evaluation, analytical parameters, chest X-ray, six-minute walk test, spirometry and DLCO–DLNO analysis were performed. Demographic variables, comorbidities, and variables related to the severity of the admission were recorded. Results: Two hundred patients completed the study; 59.5% men, age 62 years, 15.5% admitted to the intensive care unit. The most frequent functional alteration, in 27% of patients, was in the DLCO–DLNO combination. This alteration was associated with age, male sex, degree of dyspnoea, poorer perception of health, and limited ability for physical effort. These patients also presented higher levels of D-Dimer and more residual radiological alterations. In 42% of the patients with diffusion alterations, only reduced DLNO was presented, along with lower D-Dimer levels and less capillary volume involvement. The severity of the process was associated with the reduction in DLCO–DLNO. Conclusions: The most sensitive RFT for the detection of the sequelae of COVID-19 pneumonia was the combined measurement of DLCO–DLNO and this factor was related to patient health status and their capacity for physical exertion. In 40% of these cases, there was only a reduction in DLNO, a finding that may indicate less pulmonary vascular involvement.This research was funded by the Traslaciona Grant Program (code CT-850A-3 from the Xunta de Galicia (FEDER)

Repair of abdominal wall defects with biodegradable laminar prostheses polymeric or biological?

11 p.Introduction: Biological and synthetic laminar absorbable prostheses are available for the repair of hernia defects in the abdominal wall. They share the important feature of being gradually degraded in the host, resulting in place the formation of a neotissue. This study was designed to assess the host tissue?s incorporation of collagen bioprostheses and a synthetic absorbable prosthesis. Methods: Partial defects were created in the abdominal walls of 72 New Zealand rabbits and repaired using collagen bioprostheses TutomeshH and StratticeH or a synthetic prosthesis Bio-AH. Specimens were collected for light microscopy, collagens gene and protein expression, macrophage response and biomechanical resistance at 14, 30, 90 and 180 days postimplantation. Results: TutomeshH and Bio-AH were gradually infiltrated by the host tissue and almost completely degraded by 180 days post-implantation. In contrast, StratticeH exhibited material encapsulation, no prosthetic degradation and low cell infiltration at earlier timepoints, whereas at later study time, collagen deposition could be observed within the mesh. In the short term, Bio-AH exhibited higher level of collagen 1 and 3 mRNA expression compared with the two other biological prostheses, which exhibited two peaks of higher expression at 14 and 90 days. The expression of collagen III was homogeneous throughout the study and collagen I deposition was more evident in StratticeH. Macrophage response decreased over time in biomeshes. However, in the synthetic mesh remained high and homogeneous until 90 days. The biomechanical analysis demonstrated the progressively increasing tensile strength of all biomaterials. Conclusions: The tissue infiltration of laminar absorbable prostheses is affected by the structure and composition of the mesh. The synthetic prosthesis exhibited a distinct pattern of tissue incorporation and a greater macrophage response than did the biological prostheses. Of all of the laminar, absorbable biomaterials that were tested in this study, StratticeH demonstrated the optimal levels of integration and degradation.Fundación Médica Mutua MadrileñaMinisterio de Ciencia y Tecnologí