Impacto de las acumulaciones de macroalgas en la comunidad biológica intermareal

Los efectos de la acumulación de macroalgas verdes en la comunidad biológica intermareal del caño Sancti Petri se siguieron a lo largo de un ciclo anual. La medida con microelectrodos selectivos de O2 y H2S permitió obtener perfiles detallados de la distribución vertical de estos parámetros. Los cambios en la microflora bentónica se estudiaron en la zona superficial del sedimento mediante microscopia óptica. Los cambios en la meiofauna se estudiaron tanto en la capa de macroalgas como en el interior del sedimento. La acumulación de macroalgas produce fenómenos de hipoxia/anoxia tanto en el sedimento como en el interior de la capa de macroalgas, que se acentúan en periodos de oscuridad, favoreciendo la acumulación de H2S en zonas cercanas a la superficie del sedimento. En estas condiciones se produce una reducción del 96.7% en la población de microalgas bentónicas y un cambio en la comunidad, pasando de estar dominada por diatomeas a estarlo por cianobacterias. La meiofauna incrementa su densidad de población en un 845 ± 535%. El grupo con mayor crecimiento fueron los nematodos, cuya población es 9 veces superior al control, pasando a dominar completamente la meiofauna con un 92 ± 1% del número total de individuos, lo que produce una gran reducción de la diversidad.Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia, proyectos: REN2002-01281/MAR y CTM2006-04015Acciones Marie Curie: HPMF-CT-2000-0099

Cyanobacterial calcite cementation in a tidal channel of the Bay of Cadiz Natural Park

A study of the carbonated crust located in a tidal channel close to a hypersaline tidal lagoon of the Nature area of the Bay of Cádiz has been done. A textural, mineralogical, and an experimental study, including O2 y pH measurements have been conducted during a period of a month and a tidal cycle in four different locations along the channel. The results of the mineralogical and textural study and those from the microelectrodes, show how the photosynthetic activity of biofilms dominated by cyanobacteria and diatoms growing in the sediment surface seems to control the calcite precipitation on the intertidal sediments. Although bacterial remains are rarely preserved in beachrocks, this study shows how bacterial activity should be taken into account in beachrock development in coastal environmentsMinisterio de Educación y Ciencia, proyecto MICROBENTOS (CTM2006-04015/MAR

Sampling in low oxygen aquatic environments: The deviation from anoxic conditions

Studies of the impact of hypoxic or anoxic environments on both climate and ecosystems rely on a detailed characterization of the oxygen (O-2) distribution along the water column. The former trivial separation between oxic and anoxic conditions is now often redefined as a blurry concentration range in which both aerobic and anaerobic processes might coexist, both in situ and during experimental incubations. The O-2 concentrations during such incubations have often been assumed to be equal to in situ levels, but the concentration was rarely measured. In order to evaluate the actual oxygen concentration in samples collected from low-oxygen environments, a series of measurements were performed on samples collected in the Pacific oxygen minimum zones. Our results show a significant deviation from in situ anoxic conditions in samples collected by Niskin bottles where leakage from the bottle material resulted in O-2 concentrations of up to 1 mu M. Subsequent sampling further increased the O-2 contamination. Sampling and analysis by Winkler method resulted in variable apparent concentrations of 2-4 mu M. Two common procedures to avoid atmospheric contamination were also tested: allowing gentle overflow and keeping the sampling bottle submersed in a portion of the sampled water. Both procedures resulted in similar O-2 contamination with values of 0.5-1.5 mu M when bottles were immediately closed and measurements performed with optical sensors, and 3-4 mu M apparent concentration when analyzed by the Winkler method. Winkler titration is thus not suited for analysis of low-O-2 samples. It can be concluded that incubation under anoxic conditions requires deoxygenation after conventional sampling.We would like to thank Lars B. Pedersen at Aarhus University for the construction of STOX sensors. We are grateful to the cruise leaders Bess B. Ward and Frank Stewart for the invitation to participate in OMZ cruises. We also thank the captains and crews of the R/Vs L'Atalante, New Horizon, Oceanus and Sally Ride. We additionally thank A. Franco-Garcia, M. Giraud, J. Ledesma, F. Baurand, D. Lefevre, B. Dewitte, C. Maes, V. Garcon and the PACOP platform (Toulouse) for operational and experimental support during the AMOP cruise. This work was funded by the Poul Due Jensen Foundation and co-financed by the 2014-2020 ERDF Operational Programme and by the Department of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Regional Government of Andalusia (to EGR, project reference FEDER-UCA18-107225)

Microbial niche differentiation explains nitrite oxidation in marine oxygen minimum zones

Nitrite is a pivotal component of the marine nitrogen cycle. The fate of nitrite determines the loss or retention of fixed nitrogen, an essential nutrient for all organisms. Loss occurs via anaerobic nitrite reduction to gases during denitrification and anammox, while retention occurs via nitrite oxidation to nitrate. Nitrite oxidation is usually represented in biogeochemical models by one kinetic parameter and one oxygen threshold, below which nitrite oxidation is set to zero. Here we find that the responses of nitrite oxidation to nitrite and oxygen concentrations vary along a redox gradient in a Pacific Ocean oxygen minimum zone, indicating niche differentiation of nitrite-oxidizing assemblages. Notably, we observe the full inhibition of nitrite oxidation by oxygen addition and nitrite oxidation coupled with nitrogen loss in the absence of oxygen consumption in samples collected from anoxic waters. Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, including novel clades with high relative abundance in anoxic depths, were also detected in the same samples. Mechanisms corresponding to niche differentiation of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria across the redox gradient are considered. Implementing these mechanisms in biogeochemical models has a significant effect on the estimated fixed nitrogen budget

Microbenthic Net Metabolism Along Intertidal Gradients (Cadiz Bay, SW Spain): Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Environmental Factors

Microphytobenthos (MPB), the photosynthetic primary producing component of microbenthos, shows variable patterns in its biomass distribution along the intertidal gradient as a result of the interactions of factors such as light, tides, temperature, and grazing pressure. These patterns have been studied more extensively in northern European estuaries than southern European coastal systems. Even less information is available regarding temporal changes in MPB primary production rates in these systems. For this reason, we followed the seasonal changes in net production in light and dark respiration rates (determined by oxygen microelectrodes) and MPB biomass (estimated by sediment chlorophyll a) along the intertidal gradient of the inner Cadiz Bay during a year. Sediment cores were collected along two transects (five sampling stations per transect) with distinct sediment granulometry: one muddy [Puerto Real (PR)] and one muddy-sandy transect [San Fernando (SF)]. Our results show that MPB biomass and net production increased seawards reaching their maxima in winter. In contrast to what is observed in northern European systems, the higher solar irradiance and temperatures occurring in summer in southern Spain likely inhibit MPB production. In Cadiz Bay, spatial patterns of MPB biomass and net production depended on season and location due to the environmental heterogeneity observed. Environmental variables, analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), were used to explain the variability of MPB metabolism by multiple regression. Selected principal component (PC) axes explained 60% of the net production in light and 41% of the dark respiration rates variability in PR, while they only accounted for 25% of the same rates in SF. The differences observed between transects and the variability in the environmental variables explaining them highlight the importance of considering the spatial heterogeneity of our system to estimate the contribution of MPB to the inner Cadiz Bay productivity. In our case, this contribution is significant accounting for up to 49% of the total benthic production of the inner Cadiz Bay intertidal sediments, confirming previous global estimates

Microaerobic Lifestyle at Nanomolar O-2 Concentrations Mediated by Low-Affinity Terminal Oxidases in Abundant Soil Bacteria

High-affinity terminal oxidases (TOs) are believed to permit microbial respiration at low oxygen (O-2) levels. Genes encoding such oxidases are widespread, and their existence in microbial genomes is taken as an indicator for microaerobic respiration. We combined respiratory kinetics determined via highly sensitive optical trace O-2 sensors, genomics, and transcriptomics to test the hypothesis that high-affinity TOs are a prerequisite to respire micro- and nanooxic concentrations of O-2 in environmentally relevant model soil organisms: acidobacteria. Members of the Acidobacteria harbor branched respiratory chains terminating in low-affinity (caa(3)-type cytochrome c oxidases) as well as high-affinity (cbb(3)-type cytochrome c oxidases and/or bd-type quinol oxidases) TOs, potentially enabling them to cope with varying O(2 )concentrations. The measured apparent K-m (K-m(app())) values for O(2 )of selected strains ranged from 37 to 288 nmol O(2 )liter(-1), comparable to values previously assigned to low-affinity TOs. Surprisingly, we could not detect the expression of the conventional high-affinity TO (cbb3 type) at micro- and nanomolar O(2 )concentrations but detected the expression of low-affinity TOs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first observation of microaerobic respiration imparted by low-affinity TOs at O-2 concentrations as low as 1 nM. This challenges the standing hypothesis that a microaerobic lifestyle is exclusively imparted by the presence of high-affinity TOs. As low-affinity TOs are more efficient at generating ATP than high-affinity TOs, their utilization could provide a great benefit, even at low-nanomolar O(2 )levels. Our findings highlight energy conservation strategies that could promote the success of Acidobacteria in soil but might also be important for as-yet-unrevealed microorganisms. IMPORTANCE Low-oxygen habitats are widely distributed on Earth, ranging from the human intestine to soils. Microorganisms are assumed to have the capacity to respire low O-2 concentrations via high-affinity terminal oxidases. By utilizing strains of a ubiquitous and abundant group of soil bacteria, the Acidobacteria, and combining respiration kinetics, genomics, and transcriptomics, we provide evidence that these microorganisms use the energetically more efficient low-affinity terminal oxidases to respire low-nanomolar O-2 concentrations. This questions the standing hypothesis that the ability to respire traces of O-2 stems solely from the activity of high-affinity terminal oxidases. We propose that this energetically efficient strategy extends into other, so-far-unrevealed microbial clades. Our findings also demonstrate that physiological predictions regarding the utilization of different O-2 concentrations based solely on the presence or absence of terminal oxidases in bacterial genomes can be misleading.This work was funded by an Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project grant (grant number P26392-B20 to D.W. and S.A.E.), an ERDF Operational Programme and the Regional Government of Andalusia (project reference FEDER-UCA18-107225 to E.G.-R.), and the Dr. Anton Oelzelt-Newin'sche Stiftung of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OAW). Support for the kinetic measurements and flow cytometry counts was obtained from the Poul Due Jensen Foundation

La experiencia del caminar en ciudades Latinoamericanas

The results of a descriptive study that explores how the inhabitants of eight cities in six Latin American countries (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile) evaluate the conditions that make those cities walkable are presented. A total of 1133 people rated, by means of a questionnaire made up of 50 items, different situations that arise when walking, an instrument that was complemented by 144 semi-structured interviews. Based on a descriptive correlational analysis, using the multidimensional scaling program, Smallest Space Analysis (SSA), the three dimensions proposed to capture the experience of walking are confirmed: 1) the purposes that people pursue when walking, 2) the place where they walk, and 3) the spatial and social conditions that inhibit or promote this experience; the elements that make up each dimension are also identified. These findings are integrated with the results of the semi-structured interviews to be discussed in terms of their implications for urban planning and management.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Se exponen los resultados de un estudio descriptivo que explora la forma como los habitantes de 8 ciudades de 6 países latinoamericanos (México, Colombia, Perú, Argentina, Uruguay y Chile) valoran las condiciones que las hacen caminables. Un total de 1133 personas calificaron, mediante un cuestionario conformado por 50 ítems, distintas situaciones que se presentan al caminar, instrumento que fue complementado por 144 entrevistas semiestructuradas. A partir de un análisis descriptivo correlacional, mediante el programa de escalamiento multidimensional, Smallest Space Analysis (SSA), se confirman las 3 dimensiones propuestas para recoger la experiencia del caminar: 1) los propósitos que persiguen las personas al caminar, 2) el lugar por donde se camina y 3) las condiciones espaciales y sociales que inhiben o promueven esta experiencia; se identifican, además, los elementos que integran cada dimensión. Estos hallazgos se integran con los resultados de las entrevistas semiestructurada para ser discutidos en términos de sus implicaciones para la planeación y la gestión urbanas.

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in children : an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study

Introduction Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, there is a lack of data available about SSI in children worldwide, especially from low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SSI in children and associations between SSI and morbidity across human development settings. Methods A multicentre, international, prospective, validated cohort study of children aged under 16 years undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated or dirty gastrointestinal surgery. Any hospital in the world providing paediatric surgery was eligible to contribute data between January and July 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI by 30 days. Relationships between explanatory variables and SSI were examined using multilevel logistic regression. Countries were stratified into high development, middle development and low development groups using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Results Of 1159 children across 181 hospitals in 51 countries, 523 (45 center dot 1%) children were from high HDI, 397 (34 center dot 2%) from middle HDI and 239 (20 center dot 6%) from low HDI countries. The 30-day SSI rate was 6.3% (33/523) in high HDI, 12 center dot 8% (51/397) in middle HDI and 24 center dot 7% (59/239) in low HDI countries. SSI was associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality, intervention, organ-space infection and other HAIs, with the highest rates seen in low HDI countries. Median length of stay in patients who had an SSI was longer (7.0 days), compared with 3.0 days in patients who did not have an SSI. Use of laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower SSI rates, even after accounting for HDI. Conclusion The odds of SSI in children is nearly four times greater in low HDI compared with high HDI countries. Policies to reduce SSI should be prioritised as part of the wider global agenda.Peer reviewe

Exploring the cost-effectiveness of high versus low perioperative fraction of inspired oxygen in the prevention of surgical site infections among abdominal surgery patients in three low- and middle-income countries

Background: This study assessed the potential cost-effectiveness of high (80–100%) vs low (21–35%) fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) at preventing surgical site infections (SSIs) after abdominal surgery in Nigeria, India, and South Africa. Methods: Decision-analytic models were constructed using best available evidence sourced from unbundled data of an ongoing pilot trial assessing the effectiveness of high FiO2, published literature, and a cost survey in Nigeria, India, and South Africa. Effectiveness was measured as percentage of SSIs at 30 days after surgery, a healthcare perspective was adopted, and costs were reported in US dollars ($). Results: High FiO2 may be cost-effective (cheaper and effective). In Nigeria, the average cost for high FiO2 was$216 compared with $222 for low FiO2 leading to a −$6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: −$13 to −$1) difference in costs. In India, the average cost for high FiO2 was $184 compared with$195 for low FiO2 leading to a −$11 (95$15 to −$6) difference in costs. In South Africa, the average cost for high FiO2 was$1164 compared with $1257 for low FiO2 leading to a −$93 (95% CI: −$132 to −$65) difference in costs. The high FiO2 arm had few SSIs, 7.33% compared with 8.38% for low FiO2, leading to a −1.05 (95% CI: −1.14 to −0.90) percentage point reduction in SSIs. Conclusion: High FiO2 could be cost-effective at preventing SSIs in the three countries but further data from large clinical trials are required to confirm this