Fish- and Shellmiddens from Galicia (Northwest Spain): Reflections upon a Neglected Coastal Cultural Heritage from the Iberian Peninsula

[EN] The physiographical features of the Galician sea, in particular its temperature, marine currents and plankton richness, have turned its waters into one of the most biologically diversified marine regions of the planet. The 1500 km of shorelines from this Northwest Iberian region are dotted with rías (Galician fjords) where settlements devoted to fishing and trade have existed since prehistoric times. These activities left abundant testimonies in terms of archaeological deposits. In recent decades, urban/industrial development, as well as a number of natural agents (e.g., storms, sea level rise, climate change), is rapidly erasing the evidences of this rich cultural heritage. Loss of fish and shellmiddens in particular will hamper our ability to infer traditional lifeways, doing away with evidence that is crucial to monitoring past climatic changes and to inferring those biological conditions under which marine species and coastal populations thrived in the past. This paper surveys some issues dealing with the coastal bio-archaeological heritage of Galicia, and the risks these deposits face. It concludes with a proposal to save this increasingly threatened marine heritage.S

Products from the sea in inland settlements of the Northwest of The Iberian Peninsula during Roman Times

[ES] La incorporación del noroeste ibérico al marco administrativo y económico romano dio lugar a importantes cambios en los sistemas de distribución de bienes de consumo. De manera concreta, este estudio se enfoca en el aprovechamiento de los recursos marinos, influido tanto por la significación social que adquiere el consumo de ciertos productos como por la demanda generada ante los nuevos gustos alimenticios. El nuevo escenario socioeconómico se manifiesta mediante modificaciones significativas en los modelos de explotación, estableciéndose factorías litorales para el procesado de peces y moluscos que, a su vez, requieren de un desarrollo de la distribución comercial. En este trabajo realizamos una evaluación del comercio y consumo de los productos marinos en los asentamientos romanos de nueva creación en el noroeste de la península ibérica a partir del registro zooarqueológico.[EN] The incorporation of the Iberian northwest into the Roman administrative and economic network brought about important changes in the distribution systems of consumer products. In particular, this study focuses on the exploitation of marine resources, influenced both by the social significance acquired by the consumption of certain products and by the demand generated by new food tastes. The new socio-economic scenario manifests itself in important modifications of the exploitation models, establishing factories on the coast for the transformation of fish and molluscs which, in turn, require the development of commercial distribution. In this paper we evaluate the trade and consumption of marine products in the newly created Roman settlements in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula based on the zooarchaeological record

Oral Toxicity of Okadaic Acid in Mice: Study of Lethality, Organ Damage, Distribution and Effects on Detoxifying Gene Expression

In vivo, after administration by gavage to mice and rats, okadaic acid has been reported to produce lesions in liver, small intestine and forestomach. Because several reports differ in the damage detected in different organs, and on okadaic acid distribution after consumption, we determined the toxicity of this compound after oral administration to mice. After 24 hours, histopathological examination showed necrotic foci and lipid vacuoles in the livers of intoxicated animals. By immunohistochemical analysis, we detected this toxin in the liver and kidneys of intoxicated animals. Okadaic acid induces oxidative stress and can be activated in vitro into reactive compounds by the post-mitochondrial S9 fraction, so we studied the okadaic effect on the gene expression of antioxidant and phase II detoxifying enzymes in liver. We observed a downregulation in the expression of these enzymes and a reduction of protein expression of catalase and superoxide dismutase 1 in intoxicated animalsThe research leading to these results has received funding from the following FEDER cofunded-grants: From Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, Spain: AGL2009-13581-CO2-01, AGL2012-40485-CO2-01. From Xunta de Galicia, Spain: 10PXIB261254 PR. From the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme managed by REA–Research Executive Agency (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement Nos. 265896 BAMMBO, 265409 µAQUA, and 262649 BEADS, 315285 Ciguatools and 312184 PharmaSea. From the Atlantic Area Programme (Interreg IVB Trans-national): 2009-1/117 PharmatlanticS

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Assessment of the Role of Snowmelt in a Flood Event in a Gauged Catchment

An actual event that happened in the Roncal valley (Spain) is investigated and the results are compared between models with and without snowmelt. A distributed rainfall model is generated with the specific data recorded by the rain gauges of the catchment during the episode. To describe the process of water routing in the hydrological cycle of the basin, a model is used based on combinations of parallel linear reservoirs (PLR model), distribution by the basin, and tip-out into its drainage network configured using a digital terrain model (DTM). This PLR model allows simulation of the different actual reservoirs of the basin, including the snow and the contribution due to its melting which, in the model, depends on the temperature. The PLR model also allows for a water budget of the episode where, in addition to the effective rainfall contribution, the water that comes from the thaw is taken into account. The PLR model also allows determination of the amount of water that exists in the basin before and after the episode, data of great interest. When comparing the simulations with and without taking into account the thawing process, it is evident that the intervention of the snow reservoir has been decisive in causing a flood to occur

New Analysis Method for Continuous Base-Flow and Availability of Water Resources Based on Parallel Linear Reservoir Models

Water flows in the hydrosphere through a tangled and tortuous labyrinth of ways that is the hydrological cycle. Flow separation models are an attempt to group such complexity of paths into a few components of flow and storage so as to reflect the overall behaviour of a basin. A new method of analysis and separation of flow components, based on equations of dynamic relations between Linear Reservoirs connected in Parallel (PLR models), is developed in this article. A synthesis of models based on mathematical filter equations is carried out in order to make comparisons with the proposed model. Reference is also made to the methodology of adjustment and calibration of the PLR models based on the recession curves of the real hydrographs. The models are tested with the continuous register of a basin located in the northeast of Spain. The simulations are carried out with two reservoir models (2R models), three reservoirs (3R models) and with a mathematical filter model to compare the results. With the results of the models, flow duration curves (FDCs) and storage duration curves (SDCs) were elaborated, thus allowing assessment of the origin of the water resources of the basin, a guarantee of their regulation and availability, the dynamic storage in the catchment, residence times and other features

Proteasome versus thioredoxin reductase competition as possible biological targets in antitumor mixed thiolate-dithiocarbamate gold(III) complexes

New mixed gold(III) derivatives with dithiocarbamate and thiolate ligands have been synthesized and characterized. They display high anticancer activity against colon cancer cell lines without affecting to differentiated enterocytes, high stability in phosphate-buffered saline solution, and resistance to gold reduction in the presence of reducing agents in the majority of the derivatives. Some of them show interaction with thioredoxin reductase as derived from in vitro analysis and computational studies. However, a competition between this enzyme and proteasome is detected in cells, which is corroborated by the determination of proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity inhibition. In addition, some of these dithiocarbamate gold(III) derivatives reduce cell viability and proliferation by intrinsic apoptotic pathway, with changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation. Consequently, our results show new complexes with proteasome as possible target in colorectal cancer.We thank The Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (CTQ2016-75816-C2-1-P and SAF2016-75441-R) and DGA (A-32 and E104) for financial support.Peer reviewe

Fish- and Shellmiddens from Galicia (Northwest Spain): Reflections upon a Neglected Coastal Cultural Heritage from the Iberian Peninsula

The physiographical features of the Galician sea, in particular its temperature, marine currents and plankton richness, have turned its waters into one of the most biologically diversified marine regions of the planet. The 1500 km of shorelines from this Northwest Iberian region are dotted with rías (Galician fjords) where settlements devoted to fishing and trade have existed since prehistoric times. These activities left abundant testimonies in terms of archaeological deposits. In recent decades, urban/industrial development, as well as a number of natural agents (e.g., storms, sea level rise, climate change), is rapidly erasing the evidences of this rich cultural heritage. Loss of fish and shellmiddens in particular will hamper our ability to infer traditional lifeways, doing away with evidence that is crucial to monitoring past climatic changes and to inferring those biological conditions under which marine species and coastal populations thrived in the past. This paper surveys some issues dealing with the coastal bio-archaeological heritage of Galicia, and the risks these deposits face. It concludes with a proposal to save this increasingly threatened marine heritage

Proyecto de Prevención de Drogodependencias

Este proyecto prentende abordar la preocupación por las drogas y la iniciación cada vez más importante del consumo de tabaco y alcohol en niños y adolescentes. Los objetivos son fomentar la autoestima, capacitar en la resolución de problemas que puedan conllevar el consumo de drogas, reconocer las consecuencias negativas que generan a medio y largo plazo, desarrollar la capacidad de los alumnos para relacionarse y comunicarse adecuadamente con personas de su entorno, educar resaltando valores como salud, responsabilidad y autoestima, y educar en el ocio. Las actividades se especifican para cada una de las etapas educativas en las que se aplican. Los contenidos del proyecto se tratan en todas las áreas a que hacen referencia y aprovechan cualquier situación o experiencia cotidiana que sirva para reflexionar sobre conductas, actitudes y valores positivos hacia la prevención.Madrid (Comunidad Autónoma). Consejería de Educación y Cultura. Ministerio de Educación y Cultura. Ayuntamiento de MadridMadridMadrid (Comunidad Autónoma). Subdirección General de Formación del Profesorado. CRIF Las Acacias; General Ricardos 179 - 28025 Madrid; Tel. + 34915250893ES