Testing the validity of a Cd soil quality standard in representative Mediterranean agricultural soils under an accumulator crop.

The validity of a quality standard for cadmium (Cd) in representative agricultural Mediterranean soils under an accumulator crop (Lactuca sativa L.) is evaluated in this work considering both its effect on the crop growth (biomass production) and the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant. Four soils with different properties relevant to regulate the behaviour of heavy metals were selected from the Valencian Region, a representative area of the European Mediterranean Region. For all soils, the effective concentration of added Cd causing 50% inhibition (EC(50)) on the biomass production was much higher than the minimum legal concentration used to declare soils as contaminated by cadmium, i.e. 100 times the baseline value for Cd, in Spain (Spanish Royal Decree 9/2005). As expected, Cd toxicity in the crop was higher in the soils having less carbonate content. On the other hand, for all soils, from the second dose on, which represents 10-times the baseline value for Cd, the metal content in crops exceeded the maximum level established for leaf crops by the European legislation (Regulation EC no. 466/2001). Soil salinity and coarse textures make the accumulation of Cd in the edible part of the plant easier. Therefore, the legal baseline soil cadmium content established by the Spanish legislation seems not valid neither from the point of view of the effect on the crop growth nor from the point of view of the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant. In order to realistically declare contaminated soils by heavy metals, soil quality standards should be proposed taking into account the soil properties. Further research in other agricultural areas of the region would improve the basis for proposing adequate soil quality standards for heavy metals as highlighted by the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.

Aspectos proteómicos y genéticos de la resistencia a la aspirina / Proteomics and genetics aspects of aspirin resistance

Objetivo: Analizar si existe alguna asociación entre la resistencia a aspirina (RA) y la presencia de polimorfismos genéticos de un único nucleótido (SNPs) en el gen de la COX-1, así como su relación con modificaciones en la expresión de proteínas plasmáticas en pacientes con enfermedad isquémica estable y tratamiento continuado de aspirina. Materiales y métodos: Analizamos el proteoma plasmático de 19 pacientes sensibles, 19 resistentes. RA se definió mediante el sistema PFA-100. Se realizó electroforesis bidimensional (IPG 17cm, pH(4-7), geles SDS-PAGE 10%) y tinción con plata. Se analizaron cambios en tres SNPs (A-842G, C22T y C50T) en 50 pacientes sensibles, 33 resistentes y 83 controles mediante PCR a tiempo real. Resultados: La expresión de cuatro isoformas de alfa1-antitripsina estaba aumentada en los pacientes resistentes. No encontramos diferencias en la expresión de ceruloplasmina, precursor de haptoglobina, apolipoproteína AI y precursor de albúmina entre ambos tipos de pacientes. Ningún paciente presentó cambios en el SNP A-842G. La frecuencia de cambio en C22T y C50T fue relativamente baja con respecto a la población total. Conclusiones: No encontramos asociación entre la presencia de polimorfismos en el gen de la COX-1 y la peor respuesta a la aspirina. Los cambios en observados alfa1-antitripsina podrían estar relacionados con un diferente estado inflamatorio entre ambos tipos de pacientes (AU)

Aim: To evaluate the existence of a possible association between Aspirin resistance (AR), COX-1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the modifications in the plasma proteome of clinically stable coronary patients. Materials and methods: AR was defined according to the PFA-100 assay. AR-sensitive and AR-resistant patients had been taken aspirin for the last 9 months. The proteomic study (19 AR-sensitive, 19 AR-resistant) was performed using IPG strips (17cm, pH 4-7), SDS-PAGE gels (10%) and silver staining. We study three SNPs (A- 842G, C22T y C50T) in 50 AR-sensitive patients, 33 AR-resistant and 83 controls using a real-time PCR. Results: The expression of four alpha1-antitripsin isoforms was increased in the aspirin-resistant patients. No differences were found in the expression of ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin-precursor, apolipoprotein-AI and albumin- precursor between both groups of patients. The A-842G SNP was undetectable in all subjects. The remaining two SNPs (C22T y C50T) showed a low frequency with respect the global population. Conclusions: The low SNPs frequencies were unlikely to explain the difference in aspirin responsiveness between both groups of patients. The changes in alpha1-antitripsin could be linked with a different inflammatory state in these patients (AU)

Soluble guanylate cyclase beta1-subunit expression is increased in mononuclear cells from patients with erectile dysfunction.

The aim was to determine in circulating mononuclear cells from patients with erectile dysfunction (ED), the level of expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) beta1-subunit and phosphodiesterase type-V (PDE-V). Peripheral mononuclear cells from nine patients with ED of vascular origin and nine patients with ED of neurological origin were obtained. Fourteen age-matched volunteers with normal erectile function were used as control. Reduction in eNOS protein was observed in the mononuclear cells from patients with ED of vascular origin but not in those from neurological origin. Although sGC beta1-subunit expression was increased in mononuclear cells from patients with ED, the sGC activity was reduced. However, only the patients with ED of vascular origin showed an increased expression of PDE-V. This work shows for the first time that, independently of the aetiology of ED, the expression of sGC beta1-subunit was increased in circulating mononuclear cells; however, the expression of both eNOS and PDE-V was only modified in the circulating mononuclear cells from patients with ED of vascular origin.