Anthropogenic effects on digestive gland of Pinna nobilis using oxidative stress biomarkers

The fan mussel Pinna nobilis L. is the largest endemic bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea under strict protection. The aim was to determine the effects of anthropogenic activity on antioxidant and oxidative stress biomarkers in digestive gland of P. nobilis. Antioxidant enzyme activities and protein oxidation were significantly increased in mussels sampled in the impacted area. The anthropogenic activities induced a situation of oxidative stress in P. nobilis, resulting in an antioxidant response and in an increased protein oxidatio

Biological effects of PAHs and heavy metals in Mytilus galloprovincialis: Assessment of the petrochemical industry in the Sicilian Coast, Italy

The use of biomarkers to analyze the effects of exposure to chemical contaminants in the aquatic environment is more extended nowadays. Mussels are sedentary filter-feeding organisms which may be exposed to large amounts of chemical pollutants. Mussels are prone to bioaccumulation and magnification of contaminants. In the present work, biological effects of environmental pollution were evaluated, mainly related to presence of PAHs and heavy metals, through several antioxidants and detoxification biomarkers in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from three areas located in the Eastern coastline of Sicily (Italy), previously transplanted (active biomonitoring). One of these three areas corresponds to the industrial harbour area between Augusta and Priolo, considered one of the most extensive areas of petrochemical industrial activity in Europe, severely contaminated by PAHs and heavy metals; a second point is located in Brucoli, littoral zone where the presence of xenobiotics in the environment is considered negligible; and a third point (reference site) from which proceed the pristine population of M. galloprovincialis. Changes at molecular and biochemical level in the tissue of the digestive gland were quantified. The results showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase, the activity and expression of the detoxifying enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, and malondialdehyde levels, as a marker of lipid peroxidation, in mussels from the area of Priolo. The metallothioneins (MTs) gene expression was significantly induced in mussels (p<0.05) from Priolo when compared to those from the reference site. AChE was negatively affected by pollutants evidencing a decreased activity in Priolo (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between the three sampling sites in the expression of the CYP3A1. In conclusion, the observed results demonstrate that the pollution associated with petrochemical industrial area (mainly of PAHs and heavy metals) causes the activation of the detoxification and antioxidant defence systems in the digestive gland of the mussels M. galloprovincialis, indicative of oxidative stress. This study provides further evidence of the criticality representing harbour areas, due to the presence of xenobiotics in high concentrations, which can accumulate in sediments and in living organisms due to the limited hydrodynamic inside harbour

Induction of detoxification systems in wild red mullet Mullus surmuletus after microplastic ingestion

Marine litter greatly affects marine species and ecosystems (1), however there is little evidence of physiological responses of vertebrates to plastic exposure. In this study, wild mullets Mullus surmuletus were obtained from fishing vessels operating in Mallorca Island (W Mediterranean). Stomach content analyses and identification under microscope determined that 28% of the samples had ingested microplastics. Liver samples of surmullets with and without microplastic ingestion were analysed to determine physiological effects. Results suggest an induction of the detoxification system in M. surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758 but no oxidative stress or cellular damage

Intención de abandono y abandono durante el primer curso de Formación Profesional de Grado Medio: un análisis tomando como referencia el concepto de implicación del estudiante ("student engagement")

This article analyzes dropout intention and the effective dropout rate amongst fi rst year students enrolled in Intermediate Vocational Education & Training (IVET) using seven factors related to student engagement (SE). The data analyzed come from a questionnaire based in SE concept applied to a sample of 1,030 students enrolled in the fi rst year of IVET. Regarding dropout intention, professional perspectives were the factor with the greatest predictive weight. Regarding the dropout during the fi rst course, the factors with the greatest weight were involvement in the school/educational tasks and relationship with teachers. Results suggest that professional perspectives are very important to engage IVET students with the program in which they are enrolled, but these must later be complemented with student involvement in the school/educational tasks and good relationships with the teaching staff. The importance of this article lies in the scarcity of empirical works focusing on dropout from IVET programs and its applicability in interventions aimed at reducing the dropout rate.Este artículo analiza la intención de abandono y el abandono durante el primer curso de Formación Profesional de Grado Medio (FPGM) en función de siete factores relacionados con el concepto de implicación del estudiante (IE) o student engagement (SE). Los datos analizados provienen de un cuestionario basado en el concepto de IE aplicado a una muestra de 1.030 estudiantes matriculados en el primer curso FPGM. Respecto a la intención de abandono, las perspectivas profesionales fueron el factor con mayor peso predictivo. Respecto al abandono durante el primer curso, los factores con mayor peso fueron las relaciones con el profesorado y la implicación en el trabajo escolar. Los resultados sugieren que las perspectivas profesionales son muy importantes para vincular al estudiante con la profesión estudiada, pero es necesario que éstas se complementen con implicación en las tareas escolares y buenas relaciones con el profesorado para reducir el riesgo de abandono. La importancia del artículo reside en la escasez de trabajos empíricos focalizados en el abandono que se produce en FPGM y en su utilidad para fundamentar intervenciones dirigidas a reducir el abandono

Reduced Antioxidant Response of the Fan Mussel Pinna nobilis Related to the Presence of Haplosporidium pinnae

The endemic fan mussel (Pinna nobilis) in the Mediterranean Sea is at high risk of disappearance due to massive mortality events. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant response of P. nobilis collected in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean) before and after the mass mortality event. Individuals collected before (between 2011 and 2012) and after (between 2016 and 2017) the event were analyzed by histological, molecular, and biochemical methods to compare pathogenic loads and biochemical responses. All the individuals collected during 2016–2017 presented symptoms of the disease and were positive for Haplosporidium pinnae, while acid-fast bacteria or/and Gram-negative bacteria were detected in some individuals of both sampling periods. The activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase in the gills were significantly lower in P. nobilis a ected with the parasite compared to those in the asymptomatic ones, while levels of malondialdehyde, as an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were higher in infected individuals. When analyzing the di erential e ects of H. pinnae and Mycobacterium sp. on P. nobilis, it was observed that significant e ects on biomarkers were only observed in the presence of H. pinnae. Co-infection of P. nobilis by H. pinnae with other pathogens such as Mycobacterium sp. constitutes a serious problem due to its high mortality rate in the Balearic Island waters. This concerning situation for P. nobilis is favored by a reduction in antioxidant defenses related to H. pinnae infection that induces oxidative stress and cell damage.En prens

Calorie Restriction Improves Physical Performance and Modulates the Antioxidant and Inflammatory Responses to Acute Exercise

Our aim was to characterize the effects of calorie restriction on the anthropometric characteristics and physical performance of sportsmen and to evaluate the effects of calorie restriction and acute exercise on mitochondria energetics, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Twenty volunteer taekwondo practitioners undertook a calorie restriction of 30–40% on three alternate days a week for one month. Eleven volunteer sportsmen participated as controls. Both groups performed an energy efficiency test to evaluate physical performance, and samples were taken before and after exercise. The total weight of participants significantly decreased (5.9%) after calorie restriction, while the efficiency of work and the contributions of fat to obtain energy were enhanced by calorie restriction. No significant differences induced by acute exercise were observed in individual non-esterified fatty acid percentage or oxidative stress markers. Calorie restriction downregulated the basal gene expression of nitric oxide synthase, antioxidant enzymes, mitochondrial uncoupling proteins, and repairing stress proteins, but it enhanced the expression of sirtuins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In conclusion, one month of calorie restriction decreases body weight and increases physical performance, enhancing energy efficiency, moderating the antioxidant and inflammatory basal gene expression, and influencing its response to acute exercise.This research was funded by Acción Estratégica en Salud del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación DPS2008-07033-C03-03, Program of Promotion of Biomedical Research and Health Sciences, Projects 11/01791, Red Predimed-RETIC RD06/0045/1004, CIBEROBN CB12/03/30038, and Balearic Island Government (35/2011 and 23/2012) and FEDER funds. X.C. was funded by a FOLIUM program of Institut d’Investigació Sanitària de les Illes Balears. M.H.L. was founded by APOSTD/2017/023 fellowship from Generalitat Valenciana to APS