Periostracum formation in Sepia officinalis (Sepiidae, Cephalopoda).

Corresponde a una comunicación presentada en el congreso internacional de Biomineralización, para que voy a solicitar la ayuda del plan propio.The morphology, composition and mechanical properties of the Sepia cuttlebone have been intensively studied. Since the first detailed descriptions by Appellöf (1893), much work has been conducted on the adult shell structure and microstructure. Evolution of the shell from the embryo to the adult was thoroughly detailed by Bandel and Boletzky (1979) and more recent contributions were added by Le Pabic et al. (2016, 2019) and Dauphin et al. (2020). Nevertheless, the shell sac epithelium and his involvement in shell formation have been little studied. At present, there is no clear evidence of how the cells of shell sac epithelium participate in biomineralization. Our goal is to characterize the shell-forming tissues and structures in Sepia officinalis, elucidate their role in biomineralization and search possible homologies with other molluscs. Embryos of S. officinalis collected from the coast of Málaga were anesthetized and fixed in glutaraldehyde. Histochemical and TEM analyses of the shell sac were conducted in paraffin- and resin-embedded specimens, respectively. Four types of epithelia have been differentiated: simple squamous (dorsal), transitional (lateral bending zones), columnar (lateral fold tips) and simple cuboidal (ventral). The dorsal shield originates at the lateral fold tips where columnar cells secrete numerous vesicles, possibly containing chitin, as indicated by calcofluor dyes. These folds seem deeper than previously depicted and resemble a periostracal groove, from which a periostracum emerges. This periostracum coarsens due to the addition of laminae secreted by the upper and lower epithelia. Thus, the dorsal shield is homologous to the periostracum, which constitutes a support for further mineralizationUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Shell-muscle attachment in the bivalves Ostrea stentina Payraudeau, 1826 and Anomia ephippium Linnaeus, 1758

Comunicación a congresoThe muscles of the mantle in bivalves attach to the shell valves and retract the mantle edges. Among them, the adductors are particularly important for the survival of the animal. Most studies have addressed the type and morphology of the muscular fibers and filaments, and a few have focused on the attachment of these muscles to the shell. However, the mechanism of transport through the muscle to the myostracum was never addressed. The goal of this research is to describe ultrastructure and the transport of material across the adductor muscle-myostracum attachment in Ostrea stentina and Anomia ephippium. The adductor muscles in both species are composed of “smooth” and “striated” muscles. The outer epithelium of the mantle continues across the adductor muscle area and their cells contain many vesicles. Bundles of filaments connect the muscular cells with the extrapallial space through hemidesmosomes. The extrapallial space (ca.100-150 nm thick) is filled with organic secretions from the vesicles of the mantle cells. Additional bundles of microfilaments of collagen fibers cross the extrapallial sheet, from the hemidesmosomes to inside the myostracum, where they form a network. EDX analysis shows the presence of calcium inside vesicles from the mantle cells, the extrapallial sheet and the myostracum network. The presence of a layer of cells between the muscular cells and the shell was confirmed the existence of this cell layer, which is the continuation of the outer mantle epithelium across the adductor muscle. The extrapallial space is replenished with secretions of the mantle cells and collagen fibers, seemingly originated in the hemidesmosomes. The presence of calcium inside some vesicles suggests that part of the calcium is transported thereby. It would be interesting to study whether calcium is transported as amorphous calcium carbonate or as a crystalline phase.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Form and function of the mantle edge in Protobranchia (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

We analyzed, by optical and transmission electron microscopy, the morphology and function of the mantle edge, including the formation of the periostracum, of ten species of protobranchs. Five species from the order Nuculida, four species from the order Nuculanida and one species from the order Solemyida were studied. A second outer fold, which seems to function as a template for the internal marginal crenulations of the valves, is present in the crenulated species of Nucula. The minute non-crenulated Ennucula aegeensis shows the glandular basal cells displaced toward the periostracal groove, resembling a minute additional fold between the outer and middle folds. Intense secretion of glycocalyx, together with active uptake of particles, have been observed in the inner epithelium of the middle mantle fold and the whole epithelium of the inner mantle fold in all the studied species. Contrary to the rest of the bivalves, all the protobranchs analyzed have two basal cells involved in the formation of the external nanometric pellicle of the periostracum, a character that would support the monophyly of protobranchs. A three-layered pattern is the general rule for the periostracum in protobranchs, like for other bivalves. The presence of pouches of translucent layer inside the tanned dark layer under periostracal folds is characteristic of the species with a folded periostracum; its function is unclear but could give flexibility to the periostracum. The non-nacreous internal shell layer and the presence of translucent pouches under periostracal folds in Sarepta speciosa resemble those found in nuculanids. However, the free periostracum is rather similar to those of N. hanleyi and E. aegeensis, with a continuous vesicular layer. All the latter supports the inclusion of Sarepta in the order Nuculanida but could indicate either a basal lineage or that the translucent vesicular layer is an adaptive trait.This research was funded by the projects CGL2017-85118-P and PID2020-116660GB-I00 of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. Funding for open access charge has been provided by the University of Málaga/CBUA

Evaluation of mammographic density patterns: reproducibility and concordance among scales

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increased mammographic breast density is a moderate risk factor for breast cancer. Different scales have been proposed for classifying mammographic density. This study sought to assess intra-rater agreement for the most widely used scales (Wolfe, Tabár, BI-RADS and Boyd) and compare them in terms of classifying mammograms as high- or low-density.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study covered 3572 mammograms drawn from women included in the DDM-Spain study, carried-out in seven Spanish Autonomous Regions. Each mammogram was read by an expert radiologist and classified using the Wolfe, Tabár, BI-RADS and Boyd scales. In addition, 375 mammograms randomly selected were read a second time to estimate intra-rater agreement for each scale using the kappa statistic. Owing to the ordinal nature of the scales, weighted kappa was computed. The entire set of mammograms (3572) was used to calculate agreement among the different scales in classifying high/low-density patterns, with the kappa statistic being computed on a pair-wise basis. High density was defined as follows: percentage of dense tissue greater than 50% for the Boyd, "heterogeneously dense and extremely dense" categories for the BI-RADS, categories P2 and DY for the Wolfe, and categories IV and V for the Tabár scales.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was good agreement between the first and second reading, with weighted kappa values of 0.84 for Wolfe, 0.71 for Tabár, 0.90 for BI-RADS, and 0.92 for Boyd scale. Furthermore, there was substantial agreement among the different scales in classifying high- versus low-density patterns. Agreement was almost perfect between the quantitative scales, Boyd and BI-RADS, and good for those based on the observed pattern, i.e., Tabár and Wolfe (kappa 0.81). Agreement was lower when comparing a pattern-based (Wolfe or Tabár) versus a quantitative-based (BI-RADS or Boyd) scale. Moreover, the Wolfe and Tabár scales classified more mammograms in the high-risk group, 46.61 and 37.32% respectively, while this percentage was lower for the quantitative scales (21.89% for BI-RADS and 21.86% for Boyd).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Visual scales of mammographic density show a high reproducibility when appropriate training is provided. Their ability to distinguish between high and low risk render them useful for routine use by breast cancer screening programs. Quantitative-based scales are more specific than pattern-based scales in classifying populations in the high-risk group.</p

Instituto de Biotecnología y Desarrollo Azul de la Universidad de Málaga: una apuesta por una Acuicultura Azul

Noventa investigadores de la Universidad de Málaga pertenecientes a 21 grupos de investigación, se han organizado en un Instituto de Biotecnología y Desarrollo Azul, IBYDA. El objetivo del IBYDA es la investigación, la docencia, el desarrollo y la transferencia de conocimiento en el marco del desarrollo circular o azul; incluyendo el análisis económico de los proyectos, el modelado de diferentes escenarios, y su aplicación a la gestión y planificación del territorio. Así mismo, el instituto ofrecerá infraestructuras acuícolas y servicios, y promoverá el emprendimiento. La actividad transversal central del IBYDA es la Acuicultura Multitrófica como implementación de la estrategia de Biorrefinería, es decir, el aprovechamiento de distintos tipos de residuos para el cultivo de organismos, cuya biomasa se empleará para la obtención de productos de alto valor añadido.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2