Use of tissue chromogranin A as chronic and acute stress marker in fish

Chromogranin A (CgA) has recently reported as stress marker in superior vertebrates. It is stored in granules of the chromaffin tissue and released to the bloodstream from the adrenal medulla and pituitary after stress situations. The objective of this work was to study the chromogranin A variation for acute and chronic stress in fish, aiming at determining if those proteins could be suitable stress markers. A chronic stress experiment was conducted consisting of two treatments, stressed and control meagres (Argyrosomus regius) for 6 months. The stressed groups were submitted to confinement and netting/chasing stress. The control group tanks were not disturbed along the experiment. A complementary acute stress challenge was performed exposing control fish to air for 3 min. Fish were sampled for blood, tissues and biometry. Plasma lactate and cortisol increased significantly after acute stress although glucose and proteins remained stable, and kidney cortisol and brain adrenaline were significantly higher. Kidney CgA decreased significantly in the acute stressed fish though brain CgA did not change. Final weight and length, growth and condition index were significantly lower in chronically stressed fish, though survival rate was not different between treatments. Plasma markers did not change significantly though kidney cortisol increased in chronically stressed fish. Brain noradrenaline was lower in chronically stressed fish. Both brain and kidney CgA concentrations decreased in stressed (chronic and acute) fish. Concluding, only kidney CgA and cortisol kept the same variation pattern in both stress types. Although cortisol concentrations in plasma and tissues have been widely studied, the tissue CgA concentrations related to stress have not still reported in fish. Initially, the depletion of kidney CgA could be considered as a chronic stress marker though it needs to be supported by future research.M. Herrera’s contract is supported by the Emergia Program (PAIDI 2020), from Junta de Andalucía. N. Salamanca’s pre-doc contract is cofinanced by the European Social Fund (FSE) through the call “Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formaci´on de doctores 2017” from the AEI. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA

Activities of the European topic centre on soils: the Spanish information system on soils

3 pages, 9 references.-- Forma parte del capítulo Data Availability.-- Trabajo presentado al International Workshop celebrado del 9-11 de octubre 1999, en Alghero, Italia.Within the general activities of the ETC on soils one of the tasks is the development of the Spanish Information System on Soils. This activity is being developed under the agreement between the Spanish Ministry of Environment (MIMAM) and the Spanish High Council for Research (CSIC). This presentation focuses on the development of a database on soil hydraulic properties within the framework of the mentioned agreement MIMAM-CSIC. The database try to compile all existing data of hydraulic properties of the spanish soils. For the development of such a database we have taken into account the existing database of hydraulic properties of european soils (HYPRES) in which the IRNAS (CSIC) of Seville was a contributor. The spanish database on soil hydraulic properties includes detailed references of other soil properties, and the temporal variability of hydraulic properties due to the different soil use and management. This database can be an useful tool in the study of desertification processes, erosion and transport of contaminant.Peer reviewe

Implementing fuzzy control systems in academic activities in the Engineering Schools

Como propuesta de trabajo práctico dirigido se ha planteado el diseño, desarrollo e implementación de un sistema experto que permite la simulación de modelos de lógica borrosa o difusa. Este sistema experto se ha utilizado en la resolución de un problema de ingeniería real, la regulación automática de los caudales de entrada de agua en balsas de plantas de acuicultura semi-intensiva (esteros mejorados). El objetivo fundamental de esta regulación es controlar la calidad del agua en las balsas de producción. El desarrollo de esta actividad académica en los programas docentes de materias de algunos grados y másteres de Ingeniería ha mostrado la consecución por parte del alumno de: (a) objetivos referentes a la adquisición de conocimientos teóricos y prácticos; (b) objetivos referentes a capacidades o habilidades; y (c) objetivos referentes a actitudes.The design, development and implementation of an expert system that allows the simulation of fuzzy logic models was proposed as supervised practical work. This expert system was used in solving a real engineering problem: the automatic regulation of the water inflow of semi-intensive aquaculture plants. The main objective of this regulation is to control the water quality in the aquaculture ponds. The development of this academic activity has been included in the subject programs ‘Fluid Mechanics’ and ‘Environmental Impact’ of 3rd course of some Degrees of Engineering of Huelva University. Globally, we can say that this teaching methodology, based on the study and solution of a practical problem, has been an incentive for the promotion of autonomy and significant learning of students

Fish abundance estimation with imaging sonar in semi-intensive aquaculture ponds

To know the abundance of fishes and their size distribution in the semi-intensive rearing systems in traditional ponds is an aspect key to plan and manage efficiently the sales lots. Usually this information is obtained by means of sampling which mandatory supposes a direct catch and stressful and time consuming management of fishes. Therefore, in this work we propose the use of non-invasive procedures based on multibeam sonars or imaging sonars to count and size the fishes in the ponds. For that, we use a commercial technology portable-fixed multibeam imaging sonar and estimate the abundance in ponds of a gilt-head seabream (Sparus aurata) fishfarm from sonar image analysis and adapting statistical methodologies traditionally applied for bird abundance estimation. Additionally, a simulation software was developed to emulate the fish aggregation contained in the rearing ponds. This computer program allows the calculation of an abundance correction factor which depends on the transducer beam size in relation to the pond size. The results indicate that the estimation is as accurate as the obtained by the fishfarm manager using traditional sampling methods and additionally it is possible to obtain a realistic function of the size distribution which allows estimate the biomass by size contained in the rearing ponds.This work was supported by KTTSeaDrones project (0622_KTTSEADRONES_5_E), cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, through the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal program (POCTEP) 2014–2020. We would like to express our gratitude to Rafael Rodríguez Sierra (Manager of ‘Salinas del Astur’) for his willingness to carry out all the experiments of the KTTSeaDrones project at the ‘Salinas del Astur’ facilities. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva/ CBUA

Evaluation of the relationship between effervescent paracetamol and blood pressure: clinical trial

Background: Paracetamol's solubility is achieved by adding to the excipient sodium salts, either as bicarbonate, carbonate or citrate. As the relationship between salt and hypertension is well known, due to the sodium content it has raised a hypothesis that may interfere with the control of that risk factor. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effect on blood pressure of effervescent paracetamol compared to non-effervescent, in hypertensive patients. Methods/Design: This is the protocol of a phase IV multicenter clinical trial, randomized, controlled, crossover, open, which will compare the effect of two different formulations of paracetamol (effervescent or non-effervescent) in the blood pressure of hypertensive patients, with a seven weeks follow up. 49 controlled hypertensive patients will be included (clinical BP lower than 150 and 95 mmHg, and lower than 135 mmHg and 85 mmHg in patients with diabetes or a history of cardiovascular event, and daytime ambulatory measurements lower than 140 and 90 mmHg) and mild to moderate pain (Visual Analog Scale between 1 and 4). The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Fundació Jordi Gol i Gurina and following standards of good clinical practice. The primary endpoint will be the variations in systolic BP in 24 h Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring, considering significant differences 2 or more mmHg among those treated with non-effervescent and effervescent formulations. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis will be held. Discussion: Despite the broad recommendation not to use effervescent drugs in patients with hypertension, there are relatively little studies that show exac tly this pressor effect due to sodium in salt that gives the effervescence of the product. This is the first clinical trial designed to study the effect of effervescence compared to the non-effervescent, in well-controlled hypertensive patients with mild to moderate pain, performed in routine clinical practic

Dietary diversity and depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in Spanish adult population with metabolic syndrome. Findings from PREDIMED-Plus trial

Objective: To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal (2-year follow-up) associations between dietary diversity (DD) and depressive symptoms. Design: An energy-adjusted dietary diversity score (DDS) was assessed using a validated FFQ and was categorised into quartiles (Q). The variety in each food group was classified into four categories of diversity (C). Depressive symptoms were assessed with Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck II) questionnaire and depression cases defined as physician-diagnosed or Beck II >= 18. Linear and logistic regression models were used. Setting: Spanish older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Participants: A total of 6625 adults aged 55–75 years from the PREDIMED-Plus study with overweight or obesity and MetS. Results: Total DDS was inversely and statistically significantly associated with depression in the cross-sectional analysis conducted; OR Q4 v. Q1 = 0·76 (95 % CI (0·64, 0·90)). This was driven by high diversity compared to low diversity (C3 v. C1) of vegetables (OR = 0·75, 95 % CI (0·57, 0·93)), cereals (OR = 0·72 (95 % CI (0·56, 0·94)) and proteins (OR = 0·27, 95 % CI (0·11, 0·62)). In the longitudinal analysis, there was no significant association between the baseline DDS and changes in depressive symptoms after 2 years of follow-up, except for DD in vegetables C4 v. C1 = (β = 0·70, 95 % CI (0·05, 1·35)). Conclusions: According to our results, DD is inversely associated with depressive symptoms, but eating more diverse does not seem to reduce the risk of future depression. Additional longitudinal studies (with longer follow-up) are needed to confirm these findings.T The PREDIMED-Plus trial was supported by the European Research Council (Advanced Research Grant 2013-2018; 340918) grant to Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, and by the official funding agency for biomedical research of the Spanish Government, ISCIII through the Fondo de Investigacion para la Salud (FIS), which is cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund (four coordinated FIS projects led by Jordi Salas-Salvado and Josep Vidal), including the following projects: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926, The Especial Action Project entitled: 'Implementacion y Evaluacion de una intervencion intensiva sobre la actividad fisica Cohorte PREDIMED-Plus' grant to Jordi Salas-Salvado, the Recercaixa grant to Jordi Salas-Salvado (2013ACUP00194), grants from the Consejeria de Salud de la Junta de Andalucia (PI0458/2013; PS0358/2016; PI0137/2018), the PROMETEO/2017/017 grant from the Generalitat Valenciana, the SEMERGEN grant, and CIBEROBN and FEDER funds (CB06/03), ISCIII. International Nut&Dried Fruit Council-FESNAD N degrees 201302: Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez (PI). None of the funding sources took part in the design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility to submit for publication

Dietary diversity and Depression: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in Spanish adult population with Metabolic Syndrome. Findings from PREDIMED-PLUS Trial.

Objective: To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal (2-year follow-up) associations between Dietary Diversity (DD) and depressive symptoms. Design: An energy-adjusted Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire and was categorized into quartiles (Q). The variety in each food group was classified into 4 categories of diversity (C). Depressive symptoms were assessed with Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck II) questionnaire and depression cases defined as physician-diagnosed or Beck II>=18. Linear and logistic regression models were used. Setting: Spanish older adults with Metabolic Syndrome. Participants: A total of 6625 adults aged (55-75 years) from the PREDIMED-Plus study with overweight or obesity and MetS. Results: Total DDS was inversely and statistically significantly associated with depression in the cross-sectional analysis conducted; Odds Ratio (OR) Q4 vs Q1= 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64, 0.90). This was driven by high diversity compared to low diversity (C3 vs. C1) of vegetables [OR (95%CI) = 0.75 (0.57, 0.93)], cereals [OR (95%CI) = 0.72 (0.56-0.94)] and proteins [OR (95%CI) = 0.27 (0.11, 0.62)]. In the longitudinal analysis, there was no significant association between the baseline DDS and changes in depressive symptoms after 2 y- of follow-up, except for DD in vegetables C4 vs C1= [β (95%CI) = 0.70 (0.05, 1.35)]. Conclusions: According to our results, DD is associated with the presence of depressive symptoms but eating more diverse does not seem to reduce the risk of future depression. Additional longitudinal studies (with longer follow-up period) are needed to confirm these findings

Dementia in Latin America : paving the way towards a regional action plan

Regional challenges faced by Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) to fight dementia, such as heterogeneity, diversity, political instabilities, and socioeconomic disparities, can be addressed more effectively grounded in a collaborative setting based on the open exchange of knowledge. In this work, the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD) proposes an agenda for integration to deliver a Knowledge to Action Framework (KtAF). First, we summarize evidence-based strategies (epidemiology, genetics, biomarkers, clinical trials, nonpharmacological interventions, networking and translational research) and align them to current global strategies to translate regional knowledge into actions with transformative power. Then, by characterizing genetic isolates, admixture in populations, environmental factors, and barriers to effective interventions and mapping these to the above challenges, we provide the basic mosaics of knowledge that will pave the way towards a KtAF. We describe strategies supporting the knowledge creation stage that underpins the translational impact of KtAF

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data