Xunta de Galicia

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) are accepted strategies for colorectal-cancer screening in the average-risk population. METHODS: In this randomized, controlled trial involving asymptomatic adults 50 to 69 years of age, we compared one-time colonoscopy in 26,703 subjects with FIT every 2 years in 26,599 subjects. The primary outcome was the rate of death from colorectal cancer at 10 years. This interim report describes rates of participation, diagnostic findings, and occurrence of major complications at completion of the baseline screening. Study outcomes were analyzed in both intention-to-screen and as-screened populations. RESULTS: The rate of participation was higher in the FIT group than in the colonoscopy group (34.2% vs. 24.6%, P<0.001). Colorectal cancer was found in 30 subjects (0.1%) in the colonoscopy group and 33 subjects (0.1%) in the FIT group (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61 to 1.64; P=0.99). Advanced adenomas were detected in 514 subjects (1.9%) in the colonoscopy group and 231 subjects (0.9%) in the FIT group (odds ratio, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.97 to 2.69; P<0.001), and nonadvanced adenomas were detected in 1109 subjects (4.2%) in the colonoscopy group and 119 subjects (0.4%) in the FIT group (odds ratio, 9.80; 95% CI, 8.10 to 11.85; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Subjects in the FIT group were more likely to participate in screening than were those in the colonoscopy group. On the baseline screening examination, the numbers of subjects in whom colorectal cancer was detected were similar in the two study groups, but more adenomas were identified in the colonoscopy group. (Funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00906997.).

The EU Bioeconomy Strategy aims to support the sustainable growth and development of the EU bio-based sectors while creating jobs, innovation and services. Despite the recognized potential of the algae biomass value chain, significant knowledge gaps still exist regarding the dimension, capability, organization and structure of the algae production in Europe. This study presents and analyses the results of a comprehensive mapping and detailed characterization of the algae production at the European scale, encompassing macroalgae, microalgae, and the cyanobacteria Spirulina. This work mapped 447 algae and Spirulina production units spread between 23 countries, which represents an important addition to the reported number of algae producing countries. More than 50% of these companies produce microalgae and/or Spirulina. Macroalgae production is still depending on harvesting from wild stocks (68% of the macroalgae producing units) but macroalgae aquaculture (land-based and at sea) is developing in several countries in Europe currently representing 32% of the macroalgae production units. France, Ireland, and Spain are the top 3 countries in number of macroalgae production units while Germany, Spain, and Italy stand for the top 3 for microalgae. Spirulina producers are predominantly located in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Algae and Spirulina biomass is directed primarily for food and food-related applications including the extraction of high-value products for food supplements and nutraceuticals. Algae production in Europe remains limited by a series of technological, regulatory and market-related barriers. Yet, the results of this study emphasize that the European algae sector has a considerable potential for sustainable development as long as the acknowledged economic, social and environmental challenges are addressed.

Mediterranean landscapes are in a state of flux due to the impacts of changing land‐use patterns and climate. Fuel–weather interactions determine that large, severe wildfires are increasingly common. Prescribed burning in southern Europe is therefore justified by the need to manage fire‐prone vegetation types and maintain cultural landscapes that provide a range of ecosystem services. Prescribed fire has neutral or positive effects on soils and biodiversity, in contrast to wildfires, which can be extremely damaging. However, the limited extent of current applications are unlikely to reduce wildfire hazard or carbon emissions. Adoption of prescribed burning in the Mediterranean region has been slow, uneven, and inconsistent, and its development is constrained by cultural and socioeconomic factors as well as by specific factors related to demography, land use, and landscape structure. Sustainable fire management requires expansion of managers' ability to use prescribed burning, a varied response to unplanned fires, and modified regulation of burning associated with traditional agricultural land uses.

In October 2022, an outbreak in Europe of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) in intensively farmed minks occurred in northwest Spain. A single mink farm hosting more than 50,000 minks was involved. The identified viruses belong to clade 2.3.4.4b, which is responsible of the ongoing epizootic in Europe. An uncommon mutation (T271A) in the PB2 gene with potential public health implications was found. Our investigations indicate onward mink transmission of the virus may have occurred in the affected farm.

The genus Perkinsus includes protistan parasites infecting marine molluscs throughout the world, some of which are associated with mass mortalities. Life cycle involves vegetative proliferation within the host, by which a cell named trophozoite undergoes successive bipartitioning. Other stages have been observed in vitro or in vivo, depending on the species: hypnospore, zoosporangium and zoospore. Molecular taxonomy supports a close affinity between dinoflagellates and Perkinsus spp. Six species of Perkinsus are currently considered valid: P. marinus, P. olseni, P. qugwadi, P. chesapeaki, P. andrewsi and P. mediterraneus. Histology and, above all, incubation of host tissues in Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium (RFTM) are classic diagnostic methods. In addition, more sensitive and quicker molecular diagnostic techniques based on either immunoassays or PCR have been developed for Perkinsus spp. Epizootiological studies have shown a marked influence of water temperature and salinity on P. marinus infection in oysters Crassostrea virginica, thus determining parasite geographical range and temporal disease dynamics (seasonality). In vitro cultures have been established for four Perkinsus spp. Immune response to infection varies depending on host and involves phagocytosis or encapsulation of the parasite cells by host haemocytes. A polypeptide is secreted by clam Tapes philippinarum haemocytes that could kill the parasite. In vitro cultured P. marinus cells secrete proteases that are likely involved in degradation of host tissues. P. marinus can suppress the toxic oxygen radicals produced by host haemocytes. In addition to host death, sublethal effects caused by Perkinsus spp. (reduction of fecundity, growth, and condition) may have significant ecological and economic implications. Various strategies have been assayed to mitigate the consequences of P. marinus epizootics on the oyster industry: modifications of management/culture procedures, selective breeding to obtain resistant oyster strains, and the use of triploid oysters and allochthonous oyster species. Some chemotherapeutants have been proved to inhibit or kill parasite cells in vitro.

Abstract Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are now widely known for their association with high‐impact weather events and long‐term water supply in many regions. Researchers within the scientific community have developed numerous methods to identify and track of ARs—a necessary step for analyses on gridded data sets, and objective attribution of impacts to ARs. These different methods have been developed to answer specific research questions and hence use different criteria (e.g., geometry, threshold values of key variables, and time dependence). Furthermore, these methods are often employed using different reanalysis data sets, time periods, and regions of interest. The goal of the Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) is to understand and quantify uncertainties in AR science that arise due to differences in these methods. This paper presents results for key AR‐related metrics based on 20+ different AR identification and tracking methods applied to Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 reanalysis data from January 1980 through June 2017. We show that AR frequency, duration, and seasonality exhibit a wide range of results, while the meridional distribution of these metrics along selected coastal (but not interior) transects are quite similar across methods. Furthermore, methods are grouped into criteria‐based clusters, within which the range of results is reduced. AR case studies and an evaluation of individual method deviation from an all‐method mean highlight advantages/disadvantages of certain approaches. For example, methods with less (more) restrictive criteria identify more (less) ARs and AR‐related impacts. Finally, this paper concludes with a discussion and recommendations for those conducting AR‐related research to consider.

They also produce volatile dimethyl sulphide, which produces cloud-condensation nuclei, increasing cloud cover and affecting regional climates In addition, some species (e.g. Chrysochromulina polylepis) are highly toxic to fin-fishes (Moestrup 1994). Monitoring of these and other phytoplankton groups is essential in order to follow seasonal successions, impacts of global warming on the marine environment, and harmful ecological events.

The algorithm proposed in this paper allows to automatically segment the optic disc from a fundus image. The goal is to facilitate the early detection of certain pathologies and to fully automate the process so as to avoid specialist intervention. The method proposed for the extraction of the optic disc contour is mainly based on mathematical morphology along with principal component analysis (PCA). It makes use of different operations such as generalized distance function (GDF), a variant of the watershed transformation, the stochastic watershed, and geodesic transformations. The input of the segmentation method is obtained through PCA. The purpose of using PCA is to achieve the grey-scale image that better represents the original RGB image. The implemented algorithm has been validated on five public databases obtaining promising results. The average values obtained (a Jaccard's and Dice's coefficients of 0.8200 and 0.8932, respectively, an accuracy of 0.9947, and a true positive and false positive fractions of 0.9275 and 0.0036) demonstrate that this method is a robust tool for the automatic segmentation of the optic disc. Moreover, it is fairly reliable since it works properly on databases with a large degree of variability and improves the results of other state-of-the-art methods.

Migrations between different habitats are key events in the lives of many organisms. Such movements involve annually recurring travel over long distances usually triggered by seasonal changes in the environment. Often, the migration is associated with travel to or from reproduction areas to regions of growth. Young anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) emigrate from freshwater nursery areas during spring and early summer to feed and grow in the North Atlantic Ocean. The transition from the freshwater ('parr') stage to the migratory stage where they descend streams and enter salt water ('smolt') is characterized by morphological, physiological and behavioural changes where the timing of this parr-smolt transition is cued by photoperiod and water temperature. Environmental conditions in the freshwater habitat control the downstream migration and contribute to within- and among-river variation in migratory timing. Moreover, the timing of the freshwater emigration has likely evolved to meet environmental conditions in the ocean as these affect growth and survival of the post-smolts. Using generalized additive mixed-effects modelling, we analysed spatio-temporal variations in the dates of downstream smolt migration in 67 rivers throughout the North Atlantic during the last five decades and found that migrations were earlier in populations in the east than the west. After accounting for this spatial effect, the initiation of the downstream migration among rivers was positively associated with freshwater temperatures, up to about 10 °C and levelling off at higher values, and with sea-surface temperatures. Earlier migration occurred when river discharge levels were low but increasing. On average, the initiation of the smolt seaward migration has occurred 2.5 days earlier per decade throughout the basin of the North Atlantic. This shift in phenology matches changes in air, river, and ocean temperatures, suggesting that Atlantic salmon emigration is responding to the current global climate changes.

ABSTRACT We separated chlorophylls c 1 c 2 , and c 3 of marine phytoplankton together with other pigments by a modification of the commonly applied reversed‐phase‐C18‐high‐performance liquid chromatography (RP‐C18‐HPLC) method. However, the chlorophyll c‐like pigment 2,4, Mg‐divinylpheoporphyrin as monomethyl ester, co‐eluted with chlorophyll c 1 . The method involves optimization of the mobile phase by using a very high ion strength solvent in combination with a high carbon loaded RP‐C18 column. Fingerprints of the various taxonomic groups of algae can thus be developed in a single run, including separation of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.

We describe herein four cases of an unusual sporadic thyroid tumor that shares the morphologic features of a distinctive follicular cell neoplasm previously proposed as a feasible indicator of familial adenomatous polyposis. We also review five other similar cases reported in the literature. All of the nine patients were young women, aged 16 to 30 years. Grossly, the neoplasms measured 1.5 to 5.6 cm; they were solid and solitary, except one case, which showed two tumor nodules, one in each lobe. Histologically, the lesions were encapsulated, and they exhibited an intricate blending of cribriform, follicular, papillary, trabecular, and solid patterns of growth, with morular (squamoid) areas. Cribriform structures were prominent, being formed by anastomosing bars and arches of cells in the absence of intervening fibrovascular stroma. Follicular areas were usually devoid of colloid, and the papillae were lined by columnar cells. There were focal areas of trabecular arrangement reminiscent of hyalinizing trabecular adenoma. The tumor cells were cuboidal or tall, with frequent nuclear pseudostratification and abundant eosinophilic-to-oxyphilic cytoplasm. The nuclei were usually hyperchromatic, but nuclear grooves, pale or clear nuclei, and intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions were variably present. Morules with peculiar nuclear clearing caused by biotin accumulation were scattered in the tumors. Vascular and/or capsular invasion were noted in all of the cases except one, and lymph node metastasis was found in two cases. Immunohistochemical stains showed reactivity for thyroglobulin, epithelial membrane antigen, cytokeratins (including 34betaE12), vimentin, estrogen and progesterone receptors, bcl-2, and Rb proteins. Follow-up in seven cases showed that all of the patients were alive with no evidence of disease at 1 to 13 years after diagnosis. Thus, the behavior of this variant seems to be similar to that of conventional papillary carcinoma Because of the distinctive histologic features, we propose naming this tumor the cribriform-morular variant of papillary carcinoma.

Tree features may modulate the sensitivity of radial growth to climate, leading to a nonuniform response. Age-related increases in climatic sensitivity have been observed repeatedly. Sex-related climatic sensitivity is also possible because of the long-term differential reproductive cost between the sexes. This study analysed the simultaneous effects of age and sex on the sensitivity of tree-ring growth to climate. Ring widths were measured from 50 female and 50 male Juniperus thurifera trees, 50-350 yr old, growing under a Mediterranean continental climate. Response functions were calculated based on tree-ring chronologies and monthly climatic records. Climatic sensitivity decreased with increasing age. Young trees (50-100 yr) were the most climatically sensitive to June-July precipitation, which affected growth positively. We found a significant interaction between age and sex in the climatic response of J. thurifera, with young females the most sensitive to summer water stress. Our results suggest that age-dependent climatic sensitivity can be determined by site-specific limiting environmental conditions and species-specific architectural and physiological adjustments during ontogeny. This study supports that the different ontogenetic stages of J. thurifera differ in their root structural traits and that sex-related sensitivity to summer drought may be attributable to less efficient water use by females.

Wildfires are known to be one of the main causes of soil erosion and land degradation, and their impacts on ecosystems and society are expected to increase in the future due to changes in climate and land use. It is therefore vital to mitigate the increased hydrological and erosive response after wildfires to maintain the sustainability of ecosystems and protect the values at risk downstream from the fire-affected areas. Soil erosion mitigation treatments have been widely applied after wildfires but assessment of their effectiveness has been limited to local and regional-scale studies, whose conclusions may depend heavily on site-specific conditions. To overcome this limitation, a meta-analysis approach was applied to investigations of post-wildfire soil erosion mitigation treatments published in peer-reviewed journals. A meta-analysis database was compiled that consisted of 53 and 222 pairs of treated/untreated observations on post-fire runoff and erosion, respectively, extracted from 34 publications indexed in Scopus. The overall effectiveness of mitigation treatments, expressed as the quantitative metric ‘effect size’, was determined for both the runoff and erosion observations, and further analyzed for four different types of treatments (cover-based, barriers, seeding, and chemical treatments). The erosion observations involving cover-based treatments were analyzed for differences in effectiveness between 3 different types of mulch materials (straw, wood-based, and hydromulch) as well as between different application rates of straw and wood materials. Finally, the erosion observations were also analyzed for the overall effectiveness of post-fire year, burn severity, rainfall amount and erosivity, and ground cover. The meta-analysis results show that all four types of treatments significantly reduced post-fire soil erosion, but that only the cover and barrier treatments significantly reduced post-fire runoff. From the three different cover treatments, straw and wood mulches were significantly more effective in mitigating erosion than hydromulch. In addition, the effectiveness of both straw and wood mulches depended on their application rates. Straw mulching was less effective at rates below than above 200 g m−2, while mulching with wood materials at high rates (1300 to 1750 g m−2) produced more variable outcomes than lower rates. Results also suggest that the overall effectiveness of the treatments was greatest shortly after fire, in severely burned sites, providing or promoting the development of ground cover over 70%, and that it increased with increasing rainfall erosivity. It can be concluded that, in overall terms, the application of the studied post-fire erosion mitigation treatments represented a better choice than doing nothing, especially in sites where erosion is high. However, the meta-analysis highlights under-representation of studies on this topic outside of the USA, Spain and Portugal. It was also observed that most of the studies were conducted at hillslope scale and tested mulching (namely straw, wood and hydromulch) and/or barriers, while larger scales and other treatments were scarcely addressed. Further efforts need to be made in testing, from field and modeling studies, combinations of existing and/or emerging erosion mitigation treatments to ensure that the most adequate measures are applied after fires.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite efforts to reduce the delay between stroke onset and new interventional treatments, no studies have analyzed the repercussions of early neurological attention on the clinical outcome of stroke patients. METHODS: Data were obtained from 721 patients admitted consecutively for a transient ischemic attack or stroke to the neurology departments of 18 Spanish hospitals that followed the same diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines in the acute phase. Factors assessed were age, sex, Canadian Stroke Scale score on admission, previous Barthel Index, and delay before attention by the first physician, by emergency services, by a neurologist, and before hospitalization. Patients' outcomes were classified as good (Barthel Index > 60) or poor (Barthel Index < or = 60 or in-hospital death) depending on patient's functional capacity on discharge. The individual contribution of each of these variables on clinical outcome was estimated with logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Patients in worse neurological condition on admission presented earlier to the first physician, emergency department, and neurologist. The mortality rate was not significantly modified by early or late presentation at the different medical stages. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the relative risk of poor outcome in patients seen by the neurologist after the first 6 hours from symptom onset was 5.6 (95% confidence interval, 3.4 to 9.2) (P < .0001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the delay before the patient received neurological attention correlated positively with the duration of hospitalization (P < .0001). The delays before the patient was seen by the first physician or the emergency department and before hospitalization were not independently related to clinical outcome or length of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Early neurological attention in acute stroke is related to better functional outcome and shorter hospitalization.

Bivalve molluscs stand out for their ecological success and their key role in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, while also constituting a very valuable commercial resource. Both ecological success and production of bivalves depend on their effective immune defence function, in which haemocytes play a central role acting as both the undertaker of the cellular immunity and supplier of the humoral immunity. Bivalves have different types of haemocytes, which perform different functions. Hence, identification of cell subpopulations and their functional characterisation in immune responses is essential to fully understand the immune system in bivalves. Nowadays, there is not a unified nomenclature that applies to all bivalves. Characterisation of bivalve haemocyte subpopulations is often combined with 1) other multiple parameter assays to determine differences between cell types in immune-related physiological activities, such as phagocytosis, oxidative stress and apoptosis; and 2) immune response to different stressors such as pathogens, temperature, acidification and pollution. This review summarises the major and most recent findings in classification and functional characterisation of the main haemocyte types of bivalve molluscs.

Menstrual irregularity is a common complaint at presentation in women with Cushing's syndrome, although the etiology has been little studied. We have assessed 45 female patients (median age, 32 yr; range, 16-41 yr) with newly diagnosed pituitary-dependent Cushing's syndrome. Patients were subdivided into 4 groups according to the duration of their menstrual cycle: normal cycles (NC; 26-30 days), oligomenorrhea (OL; 31-120 days), amenorrhea (AM; > 120 days), and polymenorrhea (PM; < 26 days). Blood was taken at 0900 h for measurement of LH, FSH, PRL, testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and ACTH; cortisol was sampled at 0900, 1800, and 2400 h. The LH and FSH responses to 100 micrograms GnRH were analyzed in 23 patients. Statistical analysis was performed using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U and Spearman tests. Only 9 patients had NC (20%), 14 had OL (31.1%), 15 had AM (33.3%), and 4 had PM (8.8%), whereas 3 had variable cycles (6.7%). By group, AM patients had lower serum E2 levels (median, 110 pmol/L) than OL patients (225 pmol/L; P < 0.05) or NC patients (279 pmol/L; P < 0.05), and higher serum cortisol levels at 0900 h (800 vs. 602 and 580 nmol/L, respectively; P < 0.05) and 1800 h (816 vs. 557 and 523 nmol/L, respectively; P < 0.05) and higher mean values from 6 samples obtained through the day (753 vs. 491 and 459 nmol/L, respectively; P < 0.05). For the whole group of patients there was a negative correlation between serum E2 and cortisol at 0900 h (r = -0.50; P < 0.01) and 1800 h (r = -0.56; P < 0.01) and with mean cortisol (r = -0.46; P < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between any serum androgen and E2 or cortisol. The LH response to GnRH was normal in 43.5% of the patients, exaggerated in 52.1%, and decreased in 4.4%, but there were no significant differences among the menstrual groups. No differences were found in any other parameter. In summary, in our study 80% of patients with Cushing's syndrome had menstrual irregularity, and this was most closely related to serum cortisol rather than to circulating androgens. Patients with AM had higher levels of cortisol and lower levels of E2, while the GnRH response was either normal or exaggerated. Our data suggest that the menstrual irregularity in Cushing's disease appears to be the result of hypercortisolemic inhibition of gonadotropin release acting at a hypothalamic level, rather than raised circulating androgen levels.

A mass mortality event impacting the bivalve Pinna nobilis was detected across a wide geographical area of the Spanish Mediterranean Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea) in early autumn 2016. Underwater visual censuses were conducted across several localities separated by hundreds of kilometres along the Spanish Mediterranean coasts and revealed worrying high mortality rates reaching up to 100% in the center and southernmost coasts of the Iberian Peninsula including Balearic Islands. Populations on the northern coasts of the Spanish Mediterranean Sea seemed to be unaffected (Catalonian region). Histological examination of affected individuals revealed the presence of a haplosporidan-like parasite within the digestive gland being probably the pathogen that causes this mortality. The present mass mortality event has spread rapidly, causing high mortality rates in infected populations. Taking into account the degree of impact, the geographic extent, and the high probability that the infection is still in a spreading phase; this might be considered the largest mass mortality event ever registered for P. nobilis up to date, forcing this emblematic bivalve into a critical viability status over hundreds of kilometers of coast.

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Melanomas are tumors originating from melanocytes and tend to show early metastasis secondary to the loss of cellular adhesion in the primary tumor, resulting in high mortality rates. Cancer-specific active immunotherapy is an experimental form of treatment that stimulates the immune system to recognize antigens on the surface of cancer cells. Current experimental approaches in immunotherapy include vaccines, biochemotherapy, and the transfer of adoptive T cells and dendritic cells. Several types of vaccines, including peptide, viral, and dendritic cell vaccines, are currently under investigation for the treatment of melanoma. These treatments have the same goal as drugs that are already used to stimulate the proliferation of T lymphocytes in order to destroy tumor cells; however, immunotherapies aim to selectively attack the tumor cells of each patient. In this comprehensive review, we describe recent advancements in the development of immunotherapies for melanoma, with a specific focus on the identification of neoantigens for the prediction of their elicited immune responses. This review is expected to provide important insights into the future of immunotherapy for melanoma.

Mediterranean mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were experi~nentally cultured from 5 rafts located in 4 Galician Rias, following the established industrial procedure. Cultures were sampled monthly until mussels exceeded market slze. Observation of histological sections of sampled mussels by light microscopy demonstrated symbionts which could be classified into 3 groups according to their pathogenicity. The first group consisted of symbionts with unnoticeable pathogenic effects including: prokaryotic inclusion bodies (PlB) in digestive gland and gills, an unidentified protistan in digestive primary ducts, a kidney coccidian, intracytoplasmic ciliates in digestive tubules, gill ciliates and a turbellarian in the ~ntestinal lumen. The second group comprised syn~bionts that could damage the host, although unlikely to be lethal, including: the microsporidian Steinhausia mytilovum, the flatworm Urastoma cyprinae, and the copepod Mytilicola intestinahs. The third group included the protistan Marteilia refringens and the trematode Proctoeces rnaculatus, potentially lethal pathogens. In addition, mussels with haemocytic infiltration of tissues and granulocytomas and a few cases of disseminated neoplasia were detected. The qualitative composition of mussel symbiont community was similar at the 5 study sites, except for 3 symbionts which were not detected at some sites Quantitatively, symbiont loads were higher and histological signs of stress more abundant in Moana and Vilagarcia (the most inner sites in the Rias), intermediate in Illa de Arousa and Muros, and lower in Lorbe. Symbionts increased in prevalence as mussels grew. Some of the symbionts were detected in mussel seed at the beginning of the experimental cultures.