Nitrogen and phosphorus in Ulva sp. in the Galician Rias Bajas (northwest Spain): Seasonal fluctuations and influence on growth

Coastal eutrophication has given cause for increasing concern. The Galician rias are ecosystems very sensitive to this phenomenon. In the present paper, we evaluate the possible nutrient limitation in Ulva sp., a green-tide alga. Variations in tissue nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), as well as growth rate, were determined over a complete seasonal cycle for Ulva sp. collected in the Rias Bajas (northwest Spain). Minimum levels of both nutrients were reached in spring and summer and maximum in winter. The low tissue P concentrations were striking. There was a parallelism between the evolution of the growth rate and nutrient contents. The most significant correlation found between growth rate and tissue P, and the equations established by stepwise multiple regression procedures, suggest that P may play a more important role than N in the limitation of productivity of Ulva sp. in the Galician Rias Bajas.La eutrofización costera es un problema de creciente preocupación y las rías gallegas son ecosistemas sensibles a este fenómeno. En este trabajo se intenta evaluar la posible limitación nutritiva en Ulva sp., un alga que forma parte de las denominadas mareas verdes. Se realizaron análisis de nitrógeno (N) y fósforo (P), así como bioensayos de crecimiento en Ulva sp. recogida mensualmente en cuatro rías de la costa gallega durante un año. Los niveles mínimos de ambos nutrientes se registraron en primavera y verano y los máximos en invierno, destacando las bajas concentraciones de P encontradas. Se observó un paralelismo entre la evolución de las tasas de crecimiento de Ulva y las concentraciones de nutrientes en el talo a lo largo del ciclo anual estudiado. La mayor correlación encontrada entre tasa de crecimiento y concentración de P, y las ecuaciones establecidas por el procedimiento de regresión múltiple paso a paso, indican que el fósforo parece jugar un papel más importante que el nitrógeno en la producción de Ulva sp. en las rías bajas gallegas.Instituto Español de Oceanografí

The Degradome database: mammalian proteases and diseases of proteolysis

The degradome is defined as the complete set of proteases present in an organism. The recent availability of whole genomic sequences from multiple organisms has led us to predict the contents of the degradomes of several mammalian species. To ensure the fidelity of these predictions, our methods have included manual curation of individual sequences and, when necessary, direct cloning and sequencing experiments. The results of these studies in human, chimpanzee, mouse and rat have been incorporated into the Degradome database, which can be accessed through a web interface at http://degradome.uniovi.es. The annotations about each individual protease can be retrieved by browsing catalytic classes and families or by searching specific terms. This web site also provides detailed information about genetic diseases of proteolysis, a growing field of great importance for multiple users. Finally, the user can find additional information about protease structures, protease inhibitors, ancillary domains of proteases and differences between mammalian degradomes

Impurity and spin effects on the magneto-spectroscopy of a THz-modulated nanostructure

We present a grid-free DFT model appropriate to explore the time evolution of electronic states in a semiconductor nanostructure. The model can be used to investigate both the linear and the nonlinear response of the system to an external short-time perturbation in the THz regime. We use the model to study the effects of impurities on the magneto-spectroscopy of a two-dimensional electron gas in a nanostructure excited by an intense THz radiation. We do observe a reduction in the binding energy of the impurity with increasing excitation strength, and at a finite magnetic field we find a slow onset of collective spin-oscillations that can be made to vanish with a stronger excitation.Comment: LaTeX,10 pages with 11 embedded postscript figure

Association of neurexin 3 polymorphisms with smoking behavior.

The Neurexin 3 gene (NRXN3) has been associated with dependence on various addictive substances, as well as with the degree of smoking in schizophrenic patients and impulsivity among tobacco abusers. To further evaluate the role of NRXN3 in nicotine addiction, we analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a copy number variant (CNV) within the NRXN3 genomic region. An initial study was carried out on 157 smokers and 595 controls, all of Spanish Caucasian origin. Nicotine dependence was assessed using the Fagerstrom index and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The 45 NRXN3 SNPs genotyped included all the SNPs previously associated with disease, and a previously described deletion within NRXN3. This analysis was replicated in 276 additional independent smokers and 568 controls. Case-control association analyses were performed at the allele, genotype and haplotype levels. Allelic and genotypic association tests showed that three NRXN3 SNPs were associated with a lower risk of being a smoker. The haplotype analysis showed that one block of 16 Kb, consisting of two of the significant SNPs (rs221473 and rs221497), was also associated with lower risk of being a smoker in both the discovery and the replication cohorts, reaching a higher level of significance when the whole sample was considered [odds ratio = 0.57 (0.42-0.77), permuted P = 0.0075]. By contrast, the NRXN3 CNV was not associated with smoking behavior. Taken together, our results confirm a role for NRXN3 in susceptibility to smoking behavior, and strongly implicate this gene in genetic vulnerability to addictive behaviors

Persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza virus in artificial streams mimicking natural conditions of waterfowl habitats in the Mediterranean climate

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABInstituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnologı́a Agraria y Alimentaria PID2020-114060RR-C33-INFLUOMAAvian influenza viruses (AIVs) can affect wildlife, poultry, and humans, so a One Health perspective is needed to optimize mitigation strategies. Migratory waterfowl globally spread AIVs over long distances. Therefore, the study of AIV persistence in waterfowl staging and breeding areas is key to understanding their transmission dynamics and optimizing management strategies. Here, we used artificial streams mimicking natural conditions of waterfowl habitats in the Mediterranean climate (day/night cycles of photosynthetic active radiation and temperature, low water velocity, and similar microbiome to lowland rivers and stagnant water bodies) and then manipulated temperature and sediment presence (i.e., 10-13 °C vs. 16-18 °C, and presence vs. absence of sediments). An H1N1 low pathogenic AIV (LPAIV) strain was spiked in the streams, and water and sediment samples were collected at different time points until 14 days post-spike to quantify viral RNA and detect infectious particles. Viral RNA was detected until the end of the experiment in both water and sediment samples. In water samples, we observed a significant combined effect of temperature and sediments in viral decay, with higher viral genome loads in colder streams without sediments. In sediment samples, we didn't observe any significant effect of temperature. In contrast to prior laboratory-controlled studies that detect longer persistence times, infectious H1N1 LPAIV was isolated in water samples till 2 days post-spike, and none beyond. Infectious H1N1 LPAIV wasn't isolated from any sediment sample. Our results suggest that slow flowing freshwater surface waters may provide conditions facilitating bird-to-bird transmission for a short period when water temperature are between 10 and 18 °C, though persistence for extended periods (e.g., weeks or months) may be less likely. We hypothesize that experiments simulating real environments, like the one described here, provide a more realistic approach for assessing environmental persistence of AIVs

Sistema lidar elástico incoherente para sondeo de la atmósfera

The main features of the incoherent elastic lidar operating at the premises of the Department of Signal Theory and Communications' Electroinagnetic and Photonics Engineering Group, in the Campus fiord of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, are presented. The system is able to detect atmospheric acrosols (dust, haze, smoke...) and to prende data about the structure of clouds. Its performance is shown in the forro of results concerning the measurement of atmospheric extinction and backscatter coefficients for severa' atmospheric conditions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Assessment of low-dose cisplatin as a model of nausea and emesis in beagle dogs, potential for repeated administration

Cisplatin is a highly emetogenic cancer chemotherapy agent, which is often used to induce nausea and emesis in animal models. The cytotoxic properties of cisplatin also cause adverse events that negatively impact on animal welfare preventing repeated administration of cisplatin. In this study, we assessed whether a low (subclinical) dose of cisplatin could be utilized as a model of nausea and emesis in the dog while decreasing the severity of adverse events to allow repeated administration. The emetic, nausea-like behavior and potential biomarker response to both the clinical dose (70 mg/m2) and low dose (15 mg/m2) of cisplatin was assessed. Plasma creatinine concentrations and granulocyte counts were used to assess adverse effects on the kidneys and bone marrow, respectively. Nausea-like behavior and emesis was induced by both doses of cisplatin, but the latency to onset was greater in the low-dose group. No significant change in plasma creatinine was detected for either dose groups. Granulocytes were significantly reduced compared with baseline (P = 0.000) following the clinical, but not the low-dose cisplatin group. Tolerability of repeated administration was assessed with 4 administrations of an 18 mg/m2 dose cisplatin. Plasma creatinine did not change significantly. Cumulative effects on the granulocytes occurred, they were significantly decreased (P = 0.03) from baseline at 3 weeks following cisplatin for the 4th administration only. Our results suggest that subclinical doses (15 and 18 mg/m2) of cisplatin induce nausea-like behavior and emesis but have reduced adverse effects compared with the clinical dose allowing for repeated administration in crossover studies

Характеристики и методы лечения основных нежелательных явлений у пациентов с распространенным почечно-клеточным раком, получающих терапию комбинацией ленватиниба с пембролизумабом на основании результатов исследования CLEAR

.Введение. Комбинация ленватиниба с пембролизумабом продемонстрировала значительное улучшение показателей выживаемости без прогрессирования и общей выживаемости у пациентов с распространенным почечно-клеточным раком по сравнению с сунитинибом в исследовании CLEAR (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02811861).Цель исследования – на основании данных исследования CLEAR охарактеризовать основные нежелательные явления (НЯ) (предпочтительные термины сгруппированы в соответствии с обзором регулирующего органа), ассоциированные с использованием комбинации ленватиниба с пембролизумабом, и привести стратегии их преодоления.Материалы и методы. Проанализирована безопасность комбинации ленватиниба с пембролизумабом у 352 пациентов, включенных в исследование CLEAR. Наиболее важные НЯ были выбраны на основании частоты их встречаемости (≥30 %). Оценено время до появления НЯ и описаны подходы к их лечению.Результаты. Наиболее частыми НЯ были повышенная утомляемость (63,1 %), диарея (61,9 %), скелетно-мышечные боли (58,0 %), гипотиреоз (56,8 %) и гипертония (56,3 %). НЯ ≥III степени тяжести, зафиксированные у ≥5 % пациентов, включали гипертонию (28,7 %), диарею (9,9 %), повышенную утомляемость (9,4 %), снижение массы тела (8,0 %) и протеинурию (7,7 %). Медиана времени до появления первых симптомов основных НЯ составила приблизительно 5 мес (около 20 нед) с момента начала лечения. Стратегии эффективного преодоления НЯ включали мониторинг исходных показателей, изменение дозы препарата и/или назначение сопутствующих медикаментозных препаратов.Заключение. Профиль безопасности комбинации ленватиниба с пембролизумабом соответствовал известному профилю каждого из 2 препаратов, применяемых в монорежиме. НЯ рассматривались как преодолимые с помощью таких подходов, как мониторинг, изменение доз и поддерживающая терапия. Активное и своевременное выявление НЯ и их лечение важны для безопасности пациента и продолжения лечения.Идентификатор исследования на Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT0281186

Early intravenous nitroglycerin use in prehospital setting and in the emergency department to treat patients with acute heart failure: Insights from the EAHFE Spanish registry

Background and objective: Although recommended for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF), the use of intravenous (IV) nitroglycerin (NTG) is supported by scarce and contradicting evidence. In the current analysis, we have assessed the impact of IV NTG administration by EMS or in emergency department (ED) on outcomes of AHF patients. Methods: We analyze AHF patients included by 45 hospitals that were delivered to ED by EMS. Patients were grouped according to whether treatment with IV NTG was started by EMS before ED admission (preED-NTG), during the ED stay (ED-NTG) or were untreated with IV NTG (no-NTG, control group). In-hospital, 30-day and 365-day all-cause mortality, prolonged hospitalization (>7 days) and 90-day post-discharge combined adverse events (ED revisit, hospitalization or death) were compared in EMS-NTG and ED-NTG respect to control group. Results: We included 8424 patients: preED-NTG = 292 (3.5%), ED-NTG = 1159 (13.8%) and no-NTG = 6973 (82.7%). preED-NTG group had the most severely decompensated cases of AHF (p < 0.001) but it had lower inhospital (OR = 0.724, 95%CI = 0.459-1.114), 30-day (HR = 0.818, 0.576-1.163) and 365-day mortality (HR = 0.692, 0.551-0.869) and 90-day post-discharge events (HR = 0.795, 0.643-0.984) than control group. ED-NTG group had mortalities similar to control group (in-hospital: OR = 1.164, 0.936-1.448; 30-day: HR = 0.980, 0.819-1.174; 365-day: HR = 0.929, 0.830-1.039) but significantly decreased 90-day post-discharge events (HR = 0.870, 0.780-0.970). Prolonged hospitalization rate did not differ among groups. Five different analyses confirmed these findings