Commercial Cuban feed evaluation for red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus x O. mossambicus) fry culture in seawater

Background: Aquaculture slightly grew during last decade in Cuba due to nationally validated technologies and guaranteed market. Objective. To evaluate the effect of three commercial feeds (D10, D15 and D24, with 10, 15 and 24% inclusion of fishmeal, respectively) made in Cuba for freshwater aquaculture, in growth performance of red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus x O. mossambicus) fry adapted to seawater.Methods: Feeds proximal composition dwas determined. It was achieved the adaptation of red tilapia fry to seawater during 10 days with gradual increase of salinity. A bioassay was carried out according to a completely randomized design with three treatments and three replicates each. A total of 360 red tilapias with an initial mean weight of 0.14 ± 0.06 g, were randomly put in nine 40 L plastic containers filled with seawater, at a density of 40 individuals per container. They were fed with the commercial feeds during 55 days. Data were analyzed using one way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p < 0.05) to multiple comparisons.Results: The protein levels of D10 (29.19%), D15 (30.14%) and D24 (33.30%) were close to the value reported in the literature (30%) for hybrid larvae grown at 35‰. In the experimental design no significant differences were detected in final weight, specific growth rate, condition factor, feed conversion ratio and survival among the red tilapias fed with commercial diets. Conclusion: These results showed that the three commercial diets evaluated can be used to feed red tilapia fry adapted to marine environment. The use of D10 resulted in a lower cost for food.Key words: diet, Tilapia nilotica, Tilapia mossambica, hybrids, marine environment (Source: AIMS

Measurement report: Spatial variability of northern Iberian rainfall stable isotope values - investigating atmospheric controls on daily and monthly timescales

For the first time, this article presents a large dataset of precipitation isotopic measurements (δ18Op and δ2Hp) sampled every day or 2 d from seven sites on a west-to-east transect across northern Spain for 2010-2017. The main aim of this study is to (1) characterize the rainfall isotopic variability in northern Spain at daily and monthly timescales and (2) assess the principal factors influencing rainfall isotopic variability. The relative role of air temperature and rainfall in determining the stable isotope composition of precipitation changes along the west-to-east transect, with air temperature being highly correlated with δ18Op at daily and monthly timescales, while a few sites along the transect show a significant negative correlation with precipitation. The highest air temperature-δ18Op dependency is found for a station located in the Pyrenees. Frontal systems associated with North Atlantic cyclones are the dominant mechanism inducing precipitation in this region, particularly in winter. This study allows an exploration of the role of air mass source and trajectory in determining the isotopic composition of rainfall in northern Iberia by characterizing the moisture uptake for three of the seven stations. The importance of continental versus marine moisture sources is evident, with clear seasonal and spatial variations. In addition, the type of precipitation (convective versus frontal rainfall) plays a key role, with convective rainfall associated with higher δ18Op values. This comprehensive spatiotemporal approach to analyzing the rainfall isotopic composition represents another step forward towards developing a more detailed, mechanistic framework for interpreting stable isotopes in rainfall as a paleoclimate and hydrological tracer

A novel molecular analysis approach in colorectal cancer suggests new treatment opportunities

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a molecular and clinically heterogeneous disease. In 2015, the Colorectal Cancer Subtyping Consortium classified CRC into four consensus molecular subtypes (CMS), but these CMS have had little impact on clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to deepen the molecular characterization of CRC. A novel approach, based on probabilistic graphical models (PGM) and sparse k-means–consensus cluster layer analyses, was applied in order to functionally characterize CRC tumors. First, PGM was used to functionally characterize CRC, and then sparse k-means–consensus cluster was used to explore layers of biological information and establish classifications. To this aim, gene expression and clinical data of 805 CRC samples from three databases were analyzed. Three different layers based on biological features were identified: adhesion, immune, and molecular. The adhesion layer divided patients into high and low adhesion groups, with prognostic value. The immune layer divided patients into immune-high and immunelow groups, according to the expression of immune-related genes. The molecular layer established four molecular groups related to stem cells, metabolism, the Wnt signaling pathway, and extracellular functions. Immune-high patients, with higher expression of immune-related genes and genes involved in the viral mimicry response, may benefit from immunotherapy and viral mimicry-related therapies. Additionally, several possible therapeutic targets have been identified in each molecular group. Therefore, this improved CRC classification could be useful in searching for new therapeutic targets and specific therapeutic strategies in CRC diseas

Changes in western Mediterranean thermohaline circulation in association with a deglacial Organic Rich Layer formation in the Alboran Sea

We thank the constructive comments of three anonymous reviewers that substantially improved this manuscript. JNPA has been funded by a Postdoctoral fellowship Beatriu de Pinós funded by the AGAUR from the Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Union through the Marie Curie-COFUND actions. LDP acknowledges support from the Ramón y Cajal program (MINECO, Spain), JF from the Serra Húnter Programme (Generalitat de Catalunya) and IC from the ICREA-Academia program from the Generalitat de Catalunya. We are indebted to Albert Català and Montse Guart (University of Barcelona), and Joaquim Perona and Regina Roca (CCiT-UB) for their support with the laboratory work.Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.106075.The accumulation of an Organic Rich Layer (ORL) during the last deglaciation in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea) and its link to changes in deep and intermediate water circulation are here investigated. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages and the shallow infaunal foraminifer Uvigerina peregrina δ13C record support the establishment of sustained high organic matter fluxes, and thus eutrophic conditions at the sea floor, during the late phase of the ORL (Younger Dryas to early Holocene periods). Since organic matter fluxes were lower (mesotrophic conditions) during the Bølling-Allerød period, they cannot be solely responsible for the ORL initiation. Geochemical, sedimentological and micropalaeontological proxies support a major weakening of the deep-water convection in the Gulf of Lion as the main driver for the development of poorly-ventilated conditions from intermediate depths (946 m) to the deep western Mediterranean basin that promoted the beginning of the ORL deposition. Nevertheless, a better ventilation at intermediate depths was established during the late ORL, while the deep basin remained poorly ventilated. We propose that our data reflect the arrival of a new better-ventilated intermediate water mass analogue to the current Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) and/or a new intermediate water mass from the Gulf of Lion. The ultimate source of this water mass needs to be further explored but chronologies of the changes recorded here indicate that intermediate and deep ventilation phases were decoupled between the western and eastern Mediterranean basins during the deglaciation and early-middle Holocene.This work was funded by the projects TIMED (Call ref: ERC-CoG-2015; proposal number 683237) of the European Research Council (Consolidator Grants), CHIMERA (CTM2016-75411-R), CGL2015-66835-P and RTI2018-099489-B-I00 of the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain. The Research Group GRC Geociències Marines (2017 SGR 315) of the Generalitat de Catalunya is also acknowledged, as well as the Research Groups RNM-178 and RNM-190 (Junta de Andalucía)

MicroRNA profile in very young women with breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is rarely diagnosed in very young women (35 years old or younger), and it often presents with distinct clinical-pathological features related to a more aggressive phenotype and worse prognosis when diagnosed at this early age. A pending question is whether breast cancer in very young women arises from the deregulation of different underlying mechanisms, something that will make this disease an entity differentiated from breast cancer diagnosed in older patients. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive study of miRNA expression using miRNA Affymetrix2.0 array on paraffin-embedded tumour tissue of 42 breast cancer patients 35 years old or younger, 17 patients between 45 and 65 years old and 29 older than 65 years. Data were statistically analyzed by t-test and a hierarchical clustering via average linkage method was conducted. Results were validated by qRT-PCR. Putative targeted pathways were obtained using DIANA miRPath online software. RESULTS: The results show a differential and unique miRNA expression profile of 121 miRNAs (p-value <0.05), 96 of those with a FDR-value <0.05. Hierarchical clustering grouped the samples according to their age, but not by subtype nor by tumour characteristics. We were able to validate by qRT-PCR differences in the expression of 6 miRNAs: miR-1228*, miR-3196, miR-1275, miR-92b, miR-139 and miR-1207. Moreover, all of the miRNAs maintained the expression trend. The validated miRNAs pointed out pathways related to cell motility, invasion and proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that breast cancer in very young women appears as a distinct molecular signature. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a validated microRNA profile, distinctive to breast cancer in very young women, has been presented. The miRNA signature may be relevant to open an important field of research in order to elucidate the underlying mechanism in this particular disease, which in a more clinical setting, could potentially help to identify therapeutic targets in this particular set of patients.MPC is funded by the Generalitat Valenciana VALi + d, ACIF/2011/270. MTM is funded by”Rio Hortega Project” (CM12/00264). GR is a FIS “Miquel Servet” Researcher. AB holds a Translational Research Grant awarded by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM). This project was carried out thanks to Fundación LeCadó – proyecto Flor de Vida and co-funded by FIS project PI13/00606 and FEDER. We would like to give thanks to all the patients and volunteers for their participation and also to the INCLIVA Biobank, integrated into the Spanish Hospital Biobanks Network (ReTBioH) and supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III/FEDER (grant number: RD09/0076/00132). We also wish to thank several private Breast cancer associations that funded this study and the Unit for Multigenic Analysis from the Central Unit for Medical Research (UCIM/INCLIVA) for the performance of the Affymetrix microRNA profiles.S

Educational inequalities in obesity: a multilevel analysis of survey data from cities in Latin America

Abstract Using newly harmonised individual-level data on health and socio-economic environments in Latin American cities (from the Salud Urbana en América Latina (SALURBAL) study), we assessed the association between obesity and education levels and explored potential effect modification of this association by city-level socio-economic development. Design This cross-sectional study used survey data collected between 2002 and 2017. Absolute and relative educational inequalities in obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, derived from measured weight and height) were calculated first. Then, a two-level mixed-effects logistic regression was run to test for effect modification of the education–obesity association by city-level socio-economic development. All analyses were stratified by sex. Setting: One hundred seventy-six Latin American cities within eight countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru). Results: Among women, 25 % were living with obesity and obesity was negatively associated with educational level (higher education–lower obesity) and this pattern was consistent across city-level socio-economic development. Among men, 18 % were living with obesity and there was a positive association between education and obesity (higher education–higher obesity) for men living in cities with lower levels of development, whereas for those living in cities with higher levels of development, the pattern was inverted and university education was protective of obesity. Conclusions: Among women, education was protective of obesity regardless, whereas among men, it was only protective in cities with higher levels of development. These divergent results suggest the need for sex- and city-specific interventions to reduce obesity prevalence and inequalities

Deglacial and Holocene changes in Mediterranean Thermohaline Circulation: A joint perspective from Eastern and Western basins

The dominant arid climate conditions over the Mediterranean (Med) control water properties and the formation processes of intermediate and deep water masses. Deep convection cells occur in both the E- and W-Med basins and there are interconnected through the intermediate waters mostly formed in the easternmost area of the Med. Model projections anticipate that the current situation of climate change will led to an overall weakening of this circulation system during the current century. But the natural range of variability in the intensity of individual cells, the drivers and the inter-connection patterns between the cells is not well stablished. During the recent past (las deglaciation and current Holocene) both E- and W-Med had experienced periods of major disruptions in convection. The last organic layer (ORL1) formed in the W-Med during the deglacial period and later the last sapropel (S1) in the E-Med. Both enhanced productivity and weakening in convection are regarded as the causes in the two events but due to different drivers, the deglacial freshening in the case of the ORL1 and the African monsoon flooding for the S1. Here we present U/Mn ratios measured in the foraminifera diagenetic coatings from sediment cores from both E- and W-Med. The nature of this proxy, that provides information of the oxygen water content, allows its application in a wide range of oceanographical/oxygen conditions, a situation that limits other proxies whose carrier is very sensitive to oxygen content. This approach allows us, by the first time, to compare the oxygen evolution of individual basins and at different water depths by means of the same tool. The comparison with other available proxies let us to interpret the drivers of the changes and analyze the evolution of Med deep and intermediate convection along the ORL1 and S1. This new view advocates for a very close link between these two events but with very distinctive response of the individual cells to the dominant forcings

Ofrendas para una entrada: el depósito ritual de la Puerta Oeste de la Bastida de les Alcusses (Moixent, Valencia).

En este trabajo se dan a conocer los resultados de las excavaciones llevadas a cabo en la Puerta Oeste de la Bastida de les Alcusses entre los años 2010 y 2011. Asociado a una renovación de las estructuras de la entrada y la muralla, se documentó un depósito de varios centenares de objetos incluyendo herrajes, maderas, armas, cerámica, semillas, frutos, fauna y restos constructivos. Presentamos el estudio multidisciplinar de todos los materiales y las varias líneas de interpretación que nos sugiere este extraordinario contexto