Hydrological characterization of soils that will help improve climate forecasts

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The UGR is collaborating with the New Zealand-based scientific organization Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research to seek new, more robust and efficient methods for determining the hydrological behaviour of the earth’s surface, which will enable the water resources of the planet to be managed more sustainably 

The development of tools to estimate the hydrological properties of soil on a large scale is a worldwide challenge. Now, the University of Granada (UGR) is collaborating with researchers from New Zealand and France to develop new methodologies for determining the hydrological behaviour of the earth’s surface, which will contribute to improving the management of water resources on the planet.

Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research is devoted to the study and care of ecosystems, with a special interest in the protection of biodiversity, water, and soil. In 2018, the organization formally agreed to strengthen its cultural and scientific ties with the UGR.

At present, one of the major limitations of climate models is related to the hydrological characterization of the soil. It is there that the boundary conditions between the atmosphere and the earth’s surface are found—that is, the soil is responsible for the distribution of water in the hydrological cycle, in that it determines the amount of water that runs off the surface to then sustain plant life, evaporate into the atmosphere, or drain away into the groundwater.

Hydrological properties are those that describe the storage and transmission of water in the pore system of the soil matrix. Despite the extensive theoretical knowledge about soil water dynamics that has been accumulated, insights on this subject are still limited by the technical difficulty and high cost of accurately measuring the parameters on which the soil’s hydraulic function depends. Consequently, such measurement is unfeasible for large areas of land.

Soil water parameters

The research conducted at the UGR to date has successfully addressed some of the limitations of the existing techniques, simplifying procedures and costs and reducing error margins in the estimation of soil water properties. One of the most innovative pieces of research at the UGR has enabled scientists to generalize the procedures for directly deriving the water parameters for any type of retention curve and hydraulic conductivity without any need for additional information on the soil texture.

Indirect methods for estimating water properties draw on the basic information that is typically available, such as particle-size distribution. Such information is available globally on a different scale, thanks to the tremendous efforts of the international research community. The development of models for estimating other properties based on the available data is quite common. These models assume that soil particles are spherical and have constant density, regardless of their size. They describe the pore system of the soil in terms of a set of capillary tubes in which the porosity is evenly arranged across all particle sizes.

However, in the case of natural soil, the geometry of the pores varies in line with the size of the particles, giving rise to a complex relationship between the radius of the particles and that of the pores. Another of the most significant advances made by the UGR researchers has been to improve such models, on the hypothesis that the geometry of the pore size and its distribution depend on the size of the soil particles. Hence, using a physical model, the water retention curve can be predicted from the particle-size distribution.

In this new approach, the rearrangement of soil particles is estimated by introducing a mixing function that modulates their size distribution, while the total porosity is limited by the saturated water content. Unlike the models developed previously, the model is valid for all types of soil, not only those with a marginal clay fraction.

The results of this research are being published in some of the highest-impact international journals in this specialist area and will continue contributing to advances in the modelling of the processes that take place on the earth’s surface. Furthermore, they will deliver important benefits for the use of water and soil resources globally, as well as helping to improve climate-model forecasts.

Bibliography:

Fernández-Gálvez, J., Pollacco, J.A.P., Lassabatere, L., Angulo-Jaramillo, R., & Carrick, S. (2019), ‘A general Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters method predicting hydraulic parameters of any unimodal water retention and hydraulic conductivity curves: Application to the Kosugi soil hydraulic model without using particle size distribution data’, Advances in Water Resources 129: 118–30. Online:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2019.05.005

Pollacco. J.A.P., Fernández-Gálvez, J., & Carrick, S. (2020), ‘Improved prediction of water retention curves for fine texture soils using an intergranular mixing particle size distribution model’, Journal of Hydrology 584, 124597. Online:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124597

Image caption:

Soil mosaic in Canterbury (New Zealand)

Media enquiries:

Jesus Fernandez Galvez

Department of Regional Geographic Analysis and Physical Geography, University of Granada

Tel.: +34 958 243641Email: jesusfg@ugr.es

A research team at UGR studies the multiple brain alterations related to intimate partner violence in female survivors for the first time

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  • [SPANISH VERSION]
  • This is the world’s first whole-brain study to be conducted on women who have suffered intimate partner violence using structural magnetic resonance imaging. 
  • This Wednesday, the 25th of November, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. 

The BELIEVE project’s research team at the University of Granada (UGR) has found a series of brain alterations related to intimate partner violence among female survivors. Recently, they published these findings in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, making this the world’s first study to use Structural Magnetic Resonance imaging to assess ‘whole brain’ alterations in women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

This study, which was carried out at the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC abbreviation in Spanish), is the first to assess structural differences between female survivors and women who have not experienced intimate partner violence. The majority of neuroimaging studies carried out thus far with female survivors have focused on specific brain areas related to post-traumatic stress. The BELIEVE project’s study, however, has extended previous findings by assessing potential alterations in all brain regions.

Researchers Miguel Pérez and Natalia Hidalgo (UGR) explain that, “while it is well known that intimate partner violence is related to different types of consequences in female victims, only a few studies have been conducted on the brain alterations related to this type of violence.”

The study included 60 women between the ages of 18 and 62 (28 of whom were female survivors of intimate partner violence). Participants underwent Structural Magnetic Resonance imaging at the CIMCYC (UGR) in which whole-brain analyses were conducted, that is, 160 brain areas. 

The results of this study showed structural differences between women who had not experienced intimate partner violence and female survivors in terms of area, volume and thickness in the lateral sulcus and the temporal, frontal, occipital, parietal  and limbic areas. Female survivors of intimate partner violence showed less volume and surface area principally in the left and right temporal sulcus , the inferior frontal gyrus, the left anterior cingulate cortex, and the right precuneus. 

In addition, morphological analyses showed a relationship between alterations in these regions and different potential causal mechanisms, such as adverse childhood experiences, posttraumatic stress as a results of partner violence, strangulation attempts, traumatic brain injury, and severity of violence. 

“In our study, we found that a large number of survivors of intimate partner violence showed brain alterations. We also found that these alterations were associated with adverse childhood experiences, posttraumatic stress, strangulation attempts, and traumatic brain injuries caused by their partners. The alterations found may be explained by these possible causal mechanisms”, indicated Dr. Hidalgo.

One of the main contributions of these results is, precisely, the discovery of the complex relationship between different variables related to intimate partner violence and their association with brain differences between female survivors and women who have not experienced partner violence. Despite the fact that these alterations may have a significant impact on the daily lives of these women, they are typically neither studied nor evaluated among female survivors.

This Wednesday, the 25th of November, is the International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women.

Reference:

Structural Brain Alterations in Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. Julia C. Daugherty, Juan Verdejo-Román, Miguel Pérez-García and Natalia Hidalgo-Ruzzante. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1-34. doi 0886260520959621.

Two of the researchers from the University of Granada who have carried out this work: Miguel Pérez and Natalia A. Hidalgo.

Contacto:

Natalia A. Hidalgo Ruzzante

Department of Developmental Psychology and Education 

The Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC abbreviation in Spanish) at the  University of Granada 

Phone number. 958 24 39 69

Cell: xxxx

Email: nhidalgo@ugr.es 

Radiation-activated mesenchymal stem cells could be used to treat septic shock and pneumonia caused by coronavirus

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[SPANISH VERSION]

This study, published in the journal Cells, is based on others (all of which employed experimental models) previously conducted by researchers at the Biomedical Research Centre of the University of Granada, the ‘López-Neyra’ Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine, and the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ University Hospital in Granada

The results are still “a long way from being applied to sick patients, for scientific and ethical reasons,” the UGR researchers explain

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) and the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ University Hospital in Granada have found that a combination of basal mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and radiation-activated MSCs could be used to treat septic shock and pneumonia triggered by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

This study (see reference 1), which builds on others previously conducted by researchers at the Biomedical Research Centre of the University of Granada, the ‘López-Neyra’ Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine, and the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ University Hospital in Granada (see references 2 and 3), was published recently in the journal Cells. However, the results remain “a long way from being applied to sick patients, for scientific and ethical reasons,” according to the researchers. 

MSCs are a type of stem cells present in a wide variety of tissues (bone marrow, blood from the human umbilical cord, skin, adipose tissue or muscle tissue, for instance). They are capable of producing different specialised cells found in the tissues of the body human. For example, they can differentiate (or specialise) into cartilage cells (chondrocytes), bone cells (osteoblasts), and fat cells (adipocytes).

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous research groups around the world believe it is possible to increase people’s biological resistance to SARS-CoV-2 by using MSC-based therapeutic procedures. At present, there are also many clinical trials underway to verify the results of this type of cell therapy among COVID-19 patients.

In previous studies (reference 2), scientists from the UGR’s Biomedical Research Centre (CIBM) have demonstrated that the combination of radiation therapy and radiation- activated MSCs dramatically reduces the size of tumours implanted in murine research models (strains of mice), both in the irradiated tumour and in its metastasis.

“These findings have led us to conclude that radiation-activated MSCs enhance the action of radiotherapy through the secretion of microvesicles and proteins into the extracellular medium. From there, either free or encapsulated in minuscule structures called exosomes, they reach tumour sites located at a distance from the irradiated tumour and exert powerful antitumor effects,” explains Ruiz de Almodóvar.

Tumour radiosensitisation

Among the substances secreted by the activated MSCs, researchers have been able to identify exosomes heavily loaded with annexin A1 as elements potentially responsible for tumour radiosensitisation. The annexin A1 protein is being widely studied in infection, inflammation, and hypoxia scenarios, and its therapeutic applications have been extensively documented by the researchers who conducted the present study (reference 1).

Knowing of the pharmacological properties of annexin A1 and the epithelial and endothelial wound-healing functions characteristic of mesenchymal cells, “we believe that the combination of their different actions may be supremely important in the treatment of septic shock and pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection,” explains Ruiz de Almodóvar.

He continues: “We therefore anticipate that the simultaneous administration of both treatments (basal MSCs and radiation-activated MSCs) can facilitate control of the infection and inflammation processes in the lung and, by exosome transfer via blood and lymphatic flow, solve or mitigate the problems of disseminated intravascular coagulation and sepsis, which cause multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and are life-threatening among patients severely affected by COVID-19. ”

The researchers from the UGR and the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ Hospital emphasise that these results “are simply a hypothesis and we need to carry out more experimental work and secure official approval of the treatment. But, as soon as we are sure that treatment with radiation-activated MSCs is safe and effective, we will be able to offer this cell therapy to patients affected by COVID-19. ”

Bibliography:

  1. Isabel Tovar, Rosa Guerrero, Jesús J. López-Peñalver, José Expósito, & José M. Ruiz de Almodóvar (2020), ‘Rationale for the use of radiation-activated mesenchymal stromal/stem cells in acute respiratory distress syndrome’, Cells 9. Online: doi:10.3390/cells9092015
  2. V. de Araújo Farias, F. O’Valle, S. Serrano-Saenz, P. Anderson, E. Andres, J. Lopez-Penalver, I. Tovar, A. Nieto, A. Santos, F. Martin, J. Expósito, F. J. Oliver & J. M. Ruiz de Almodóvar (2018), ‘Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells enhance radiotherapy-induced cell death in tumor and metastatic tumor foci’, Mol Cancer 17(1), 122. Online: doi:10.1186/s12943-018-0867-0
  3. V. de Araújo Farias, I. Tovar, R. Del Moral, F. O’Valle, J. Expósito, F. J. Oliver and J. M. Ruiz de Almodóvar (2019), ‘Enhancing the bystander and abscopal effects to improve radiotherapy outcomes’, Front Oncol, 9, 1381. Online: doi:10.3389/fonc.2019.01381

A). SEM images of mesenchymal stem cells in culture. B) 1. Image of microvesicle (diameter: 460 nm) and 2. Cluster of exosomes (mean diameter: 140nm) secreted by MSC cells. The images were obtained using the AURIGA (Carl Zeiss SMT) high-resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM)

Media enquiries:

José Mariano Ruiz de Almodóvar 

Professor of Radiology, University of Granada (retired) 

Email: jmrdar@ugr.es

Tel.: +34 648146605  

José Expósito Hernández

Associate Professor of Radiology, University of Granada, and Head of the Oncology Radiation Service, ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ University HospitalEmail: jose.exposito.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es

Alcohol consumption reduces contrast sensitivity and increases the sensation of a veiling luminance over the image we see, thus affecting driving performance

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A study conducted by researchers from the Department of Optics of the University of Granada reveals that alcohol consumption impairs visual function and adversely affects driving performance 

Forty subjects participated in the study, the results of which have been published in the journal Scientific Reports. They took part in three experimental sessions on different days: one session with zero alcohol consumption, another in which they consumed 300 ml of wine, and a third in which they consumed 450 ml 

A study carried out by researchers from the Department of Optics of the University of Granada (UGR) has revealed that alcohol consumption impairs visual function and adversely affects driving performance. It was found to decrease contrast sensitivity (that is, the ability to discern image contrasts) and create a veiling luminance over the individual’s vision, by increasing the retinal straylight (intraocular scattered light that reaches the retina).

A total of 40 subjects (aged 28, on average) participated in this study, the results of which have been published in the journal Scientific Reports. The alcoholic beverage consumed in the experiment was red wine from the province of Granada (Pago de Almaraes, Benalúa de Guadix), and a precision breathalyser was used to measure the level of alcohol in exhaled air. The Local Police Force of Granada and Drager Iberia both collaborated in the study and loaned the breathalyser used in the experiments. 

Each of the participants took part in three sessions on different days: one session with zero alcohol consumption, another in which they consumed 300 ml of wine, and a third in which they consumed 450 ml. Two groups were then established, based on the average Breath Alcohol Content (BrAC)—concentration of alcohol in exhaled air—that the participants presented in the third session, in which they consumed 450ml of alcohol. The participants were assigned to the two groups in line with the legal limit for driving in most countries, which is a BrAC reading of 0.25mg/l: low BrAC (those who presented a reading of 0.25mg/l or less) vs. high BrAC (those who exceeded the legal limit for driving—that is, over 0.25mg/l).

In each session, two visual functions were evaluated: contrast sensitivity and straylight. Participants were asked to perform a series of tasks using a driving simulator, from which information was extracted to assess their driving performance. The simulator-based test contained three different scenarios: dual carriageway, mountain road, and inner-city driving.

The results indicate that driving performance worsens after alcohol consumption, and especially so among those with a higher wine intake.

Driving performance on the mountain road

The deterioration in driving performance was more marked on the mountain-road section of the simulated itinerary, due to the complexity of the route. The variables most affected were those that determine the position of the car on the road and the reaction time in braking responses. It was found that driving performance after alcohol consumption depends on the individual’s sensitivity to contrast and straylight, indicating that these visual functions can partially predict driving performance under these conditions.

The published article forms part of the doctoral thesis of Miriam Casares López, which is being supervised by José Juan Castro Torres, Associate Professor at the Department of Optics of the UGR. Both are researchers with the Laboratory of Vision Sciences and Applications, whose Principal Investigator, Professor Rosario González Anera, has authored other research papers linking vision with driving performance. 

As Miriam Casares points out, “alcohol consumption has become so commonplace and natural when we socialise that sometimes we don’t stop to reflect on the major consequences it can have on our health and safety. That’s why we believe this work is so important, especially considering that the visual tests we have to perform to pass the driving test or renew our driving license do not take into account these aspects of visual function.”

José Juan Castro concludes: “We believe the results of this study are relevant to driving-related matters, given that alcohol consumption is related to approximately 30% of traffic accidents in countries such as Spain or the United States. Furthermore, the importance of driving-related aspects of vision other than visual acuity becomes even more evident under these experimental conditions, so it is important to study how vision affects driving performance especially after alcohol consumption, which, sadly, remains a contributory factor in a significant percentage of traffic accidents.”

Bibliography:

Casares-López, M., Castro-Torres, J.J., Martino, Ortiz-Peregrina, S., Ortiz, C., & Anera, R.G. (2020), ‘Contrast sensitivity and retinal straylight after alcohol consumption: Effects on driving performance’, Scientific Reports 10, 13599. Online:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70645-3

One of the participants, during the measurement of intraocular scattering

A study participant using the driving simulator

The precision breathalyser used in the study, ready for testing

Media enquiries:

José Juan Castro Torres

Department of Optics, University of Granada

Tel.: + 34 958 241902

Email: jjcastro@ugr.es 

Miriam Casares López

Department of Optics, University of Granada

Email: clmiriam@ugr.es 

A study by the UGR reveals the multiple benefits of physical exercise for people with lupus

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The study, which aimed to determine the effects of a regular exercise programme, demonstrated the importance of maintaining aerobic capacity among this population, which is known to present a high cardiovascular risk

A group of researchers, including from the University of Granada (UGR), has recently presented the results of a study into patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a systemic autoimmune disease that carries a high cardiovascular risk. The conclusions show the importance of maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness or aerobic capacity, with physical exercise being the best tool to achieve this.

The project, which began in 2017, is called ‘Effects of a Physical Exercise Programme on Subclinical Arteriosclerosis and Inflammation in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus’ (EXERCITALS). It aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week programme of progressive, individualized, and specially-adapted aerobic training on arterial stiffness and inflammation in women with this type of lupus. The effects of exercise on physical fitness and variables such as fatigue, depression, or quality of life—all of which are usually affected in these patients—were also evaluated.

Blanca Gavilán Carrera, one of the UGR researchers working on the project, explains that the study was conducted within the Internal Medicine service of the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ University Hospital in Granada and was funded by the Department of Health of the Regional Government of Andalusia.

The study, led by the internist José Antonio Vargas Hitos, involved collaboration between experts from Sport Sciences at ​​the Universities of Granada and Almería, such as Alberto Soriano Maldonado, and from Medicine in Granada, such as Juan Jiménez Alonso, Juan Diego Mediavilla García, and José Mario Sabio Sánchez.

Results and next steps

The main results of the project, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, indicate that the patients who took part in the exercise programme substantially increased their aerobic capacity compared to another group that was only given information about healthy lifestyle choices. Arterial stiffness and inflammation were not adversely affected, hence such a programme would constitute a safe intervention that does not negatively affect these cardiovascular risk factors. 

Another publication, this time in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation, indicates that taking part in this training programme significantly reduced fatigue levels among participants, even though depressive symptoms, stress, sleep quality, or quality of life did not change substantially compared to the group that did no training. Furthermore, the increase in aerobic capacity post-exercise was found to be partially responsible for the reduction in general fatigue observed after the intervention.  

Gavilán Carrera notes that previous studies related to this project also demonstrated that “although age is the main factor that causes the arteries to become hardened and increases the risk of arteriosclerosis, higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with a lower annual increase in arterial stiffness.”

“Overall, the results of this project underline how important it is for people with systemic autoimmune diseases, such as LES, to maintain cardiorespiratory fitness, and that exercise is the only tool able to achieve this—or even improve fitness levels,” explains Gavilán Carrera.

This study has, once again, been funded by the Department of Health of the Regional Government of Andalusia as a research project in the area of ​​rare diseases, entitled «Physical Activity and Fitness as Predictors of Health in women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Cohort study with 2-year follow-up.” José Vargas Hitos remains the Principal Investigator.

In the next year or two, a follow-up study will be conducted on the patients who have participated. This will provide a better understanding of the role of physical activity and fitness as health markers in this population.

Bibliography:

Blanca Gavilán Carrera, José Antonio Vargas Hitos, Pablo Morillas de Laguno, Antonio Rosales Castillo, Sergio Sola Rodríguez, José Luis Callejas Rubio, José Mario Sabio & Alberto Soriano Maldonado (2020) ‘Effects of 12-week aerobic exercise on patient-reported outcomes in women with systemic lupus erythematosus’, Disability and Rehabilitation. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1808904

Alberto Soriano Maldonado, Pablo Morillas de Laguno, José Mario Sabio, Blanca Gavilán Carrera, Antonio Rosales Castillo, Cristina Montalbán Méndez, Luis Manuel Sáez Urán, José Luis Callejas Rubio & José Antonio Vargas Hitos (2018), ‘Effects of 12-week aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness, inflammation, and cardiorespiratory fitness in women with systemic LUPUS Erythematosus: Non-randomized controlled trial’, Journal of Clinical Medicine 7(12). Online: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm7120477

Media enquiries: 

Blanca Gavilán Carrera

Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada

Email: bgavilan@ugr.es

An international team of scientists, co-led by the UGR, discovers a new coral reef in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef—the first such discovery in 120 years

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Ángel Puga, a researcher at the UGR, is co-leading a geological and biological research campaign that is being conducted at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR)—the largest coral reef in the world. Geologists, biologists, and marine ecologists from various Australian universities and research centres are participating in the campaign

The primary aim of the campaign is to study the deep marine environment along the Cape York Peninsula, located at the northernmost tip of the GBR—one of the most remote and isolated regions of Australia

A researcher from the University of Granada (UGR) is co-leading a geological and biological research campaign that is being carried out at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR)—the largest coral reef in the world. Geologists, biologists, and marine ecologists from various Australian universities and research centres are participating in the campaign.

The research vessel Falkor has been the focal point of this expedition, starting out on September 30 and continuing until November 17.  The work is being funded by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, a not-for-profit organization devoted to advancing and disseminating knowledge about the world’s oceans. 

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions currently imposed, only a small number of researchers, all of whom are Australian, are physically allowed on board the vessel this year. However, a novel feature of the research is that a large proportion of the team is successfully operating remotely, thanks to the technical resources with which the Falkor is equipped. One such team member is Ángel Puga Bernabéu, a researcher at the UGR’s Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, who is co-directing this campaign remotely from Granada.

Puga explains one particularly important new addition to the knowledge-base regarding the GBR: “On October 21, the Falkor discovered a new ‘detached’ reef, measuring 500 metres high off the seafloor. Its shallowest part, measuring 300 metres long and 50 wide, is located at a depth of about 40 metres [IMAGE 7].” This new reef is the first to be discovered in the GBR in 120 years. Furthermore, the images taken by the remotely-operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) show a tremendous diversity of benthic organisms (that is, those living on the seabed) and fish on this new reef.

The primary objective of the research campaign is to study the deep marine environment along Cape York Peninsula, located at the northernmost tip of the GBR—one of the most remote and isolated regions of Australia. Such environments in this region constitute one of the great mysteries for the scientific community, as the only information available to date has been gathered from disparate data obtained by other research vessels during their passage through these waters (just five in the last 12 years). For this reason, the area is considered a ‘frontier’ of scientific knowledge.

To shed light on the many unknowns that remain, the Falkor is carrying out extensive mapping of the seafloor using a high-resolution multibeam sonar. Coupled with the video images and biological, rock, and sediment samples obtained by the ROUV SuBastian (named after the Disney character from The Little Mermaid and making its 400th dive during this campaign), this mapping aims to answer some important geological questions. For example: What shape are the submarine canyons in this area and what activity is taking place there? Are there any ‘drowned’ reefs in the area? What is the origin of the extraordinary detached reefs? 

Submarine canyons are large underwater steep-sided valleys, similar to the valleys through which rivers flow on land. Just like rivers, submarine canyons transport loose materials along their channels, but, in this case, the material derives from the shallows located in the coastal areas and the continental slope. From there, sediment (along with associated nutrients and organic carbon) moves through the canyons and accumulates where they end, similar to deltas at the mouth of rivers.

So-called ‘drowned’ reefs are similar to the reefs of today, but they developed at a time when the sea level was much lower than it is now, for example, during the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago, when the sea level was about 120 m lower than at present. With the progressive rise of the sea level, these reefs were submerged along with the biological communities that formed them, especially the corals—hence, ‘drowned’.

The identification of this type of reefs provides invaluable information with which to reconstruct the variations in sea level in the recent past. Furthermore, many of these reefs provide an important habitat for mesophotic reef communities (those that live at greater depths than the typical shallow waters).

Detached reefs are those that have become separated from the GBR a few kilometres from the edge of the shelf. Their origins are unclear but they may have developed on small fragments of the continent that broke away from the land due to tectonic shifts.

Fascinating discoveries

“At this stage in the campaign, we have already made some fascinating discoveries that point to several years of work ahead for scientists,” explains Puga. For example, researchers have successfully mapped the entire SwainSlide underwater landslide. This large displacement consists of reefs and sediments that fell away from the continental shelf and slid down the margin, about 250 km from the coast. 

“This landslide is about 10 kilometres wide and the loose material has travelled over 20 kilometres across the seafloor. The images taken in this campaign show huge blocks of intact material surrounded by many smaller blocks and debris [IMAGE 1],” says Puga.

Understanding what triggered this major underwater shift is of great scientific interest. Crucially, catastrophic events of this type can generate tsunamis that affect the entire coast in a matter of a few hours, as well as damaging underwater infrastructures such as communication cables or pipelines. Yet, both the walls of the scar left by the landslide and the detached blocks also provide an ideal environment for colonization by various different organisms.

The researchers have also observed rich marine ecosystems at the edge of the continental shelf at unexpected depths of over 100 m (IMAGE 2) and in deep marine environments on the walls and at the foot of underwater canyons. This shows that the tremendous ecological richness and diversity of the GBR are not restricted solely to the better-known shallow waters.

The cartography of the continental margin of the northernmost sector of the GBR has revealed the existence of submarine canyons that are much more complex than those located in the central sector and that present a different morphology (IMAGE 3). ROUV images suggest that many of these canyons have been active in relatively recent times. The rock and sediment samples obtained from the walls and channels of the canyons (IMAGES 4 and 5) will be used to extract information about their age and the characteristics of the material that is transported through them.

Among the more striking shapes and forms that have been observed in this area are the so-called plunge pools. These are large depressions, roughly semi-circular, that formed at the foot of a large escarpment (in this case, several hundred metres deep), similar to those that develop at the foot of waterfalls on the mainland (IMAGE 6). Their origins are still unknown. They may be ancient land-based waterfalls that are now submerged; they may have originated underwater; or they may be related to tectonic structures such as faults. 

Media enquiries:

Angel Puga Bernabéu

Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, University of Granada

Tel.: +34 958 242721

Email: angelpb@ugr.es

New study warns of the stress experienced by pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic

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In other pandemics, stress has been found to affect both pregnant women and their developing babies

A new study now recommends that, in addition to routine medical check-ups, health professionals should also ask pregnant woman about their psychological well-being

There is consensus among studies dealing with natural disasters, such as famines, earthquakes, and pandemics, that the stress to which pregnant women are exposed during such crises has short and long-term consequences, both on their health and on that of their unborn babies. In light of this finding, and given the current COVID-19 pandemic, one researcher from the University of Granada (UGR) is recommending that, in addition to routine medical check-ups, pregnant women should undergo a psychological assessment, to reduce the potential risks of such stress.

The researcher in question is Rafael Caparrós González, Assistant Professor at the UGR and Head of the research project ‘Psychological and Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pregnancy, Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Foetal Development and Child Health’ (GESTACOVID). His recent findings have led him to publish two articles, in the Revista Española de Salud Pública (Spanish Journal of Public Health) and the Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. 

Caparrós clarifies that, on the one hand, one must consider the direct impact of contagion with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which is responsible for the COVID-19 disease) on the health of pregnant women; but, on the other, there are also indirect effects that pregnant women may suffer as a result of experiencing the uncertain circumstances associated with such pandemics.

“The current COVID-19 pandemic is giving rise to particular sources of stress for pregnant women. These include lockdown and social distancing, fear of catching the virus, financial problems due to job loss, or home-schooling of children under lockdown conditions. In some cases, pregnant women also have to deal with sharing their home with a potentially violent partner, which increases the risk of intimate-partner violence,” explains Caparrós González.

Assessing psychological well-being

Stressful circumstances are known to have a direct impact on the pregnant woman and her unborn baby. It is known that, for example, those babies who were exposed to the 1918 influenza (Spanish flu) virus during their foetal development were at greater risk of premature death in adulthood from diseases such acute myocardial infarction, of developing metabolic syndrome, or of being diagnosed with autism, schizophrenia, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 

Both Caparrós and his colleagues Fiona Alderdice (scientist at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom) and Miguel Ángel Luque Fernández (Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, and researcher at the Biohealth Research Institute in Granada, Spain) highlight the importance of taking special care of mental health at this time.

They recommend that pregnant women, in addition to the routine check-ups offered by midwives and obstetricians concerning their physical and medical health, receive an adequate psychological assessment to minimize any psychological risks to which they are exposed—and even more so during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Implementing such assessments would improve the health of pregnant women and therefore that of future generations, and is a practice that is already carried out in other countries, such as the United Kingdom.

“It is important to take care of mental health during pregnancy or the perinatal period, as psychological alterations can have repercussions on the physical health of the pregnant woman and her baby throughout their lives. Such alterations will affect both her and the baby she is carrying, and these are problems that will present over time,” warns Caparrós.

Bibliography:

Rafael A. Caparros-González & Miguel Ángel Luque-Fernández (2020), ‘Salud mental en el período perinatal y estrés materno durante la pandemia Covid-19: Influencia sobre el desarrollo fetal’, Revista Española de Salud Pública 94. Online: https://www.mscbs.gob.es/biblioPublic/publicaciones/recursos_propios/resp/revista_cdrom/VOL94/CARTA/RS94C_202009104es.pdf

Rafael A. Caparros-Gonzalez & Fiona Alderdice (2020), ‘The COVID-19 pandemic and perinatal mental health’, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. Online:

https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2020.1786910

Media enquiries:

Rafael A. Caparrós González

Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada

Email: rcg477@ugr.es 

Oysters produce a foam-like material in their shells with a technique adapted to the lack of internal space, similar to 3D printing

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Oysters—and molluscs in general—develop their shells sheet-by-sheet

Scientists from the UGR have discovered that oysters produce three-dimensional foam-like structures with their own innate ‘technology’ to resolve the problem of limited extrapallial space (the small space that separates the mollusc from the shell)

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) have discovered that oysters are capable of producing three-dimensional structures organised by physical (colloidal) processes—the result of which resembles a solid foam—by using a unique technique, similar to that of a 3D printer. This technique enables them to develop their shell structures sheet-by-sheet, which resolves the problem of limited extrapallial space (the small space that separates the mollusc from its shell). The findings of this study have been published in the prestigious Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 

Oysters and, in general, molluscs (as well as other groups of invertebrates) secrete their shells via an extremely small space (much less than one micron) that sits between the living tissue that secretes the shell (the mantle) and the growth surface of the shell that exists in all molluscs. This is the so-called extrapallial space (pallium meaning mantle). It takes the form of a very thin film and it is filled with a watery liquid called extrapallial fluid. It is therefore quite extraordinary that oysters can produce vesicles (hollow cavities) that measure tens—sometimes hundreds—of microns in diameter through this very small space.

The Gryphaeidae family of oysters was a major group during the Jurassic (between 201 and 145 million years ago), although today there remain very few. Some groups of this family exclusively developed, from around the Cretaceous period, a highly porous material called vesicular.

“This material is made of vesicles filled with a watery liquid, surrounded by calcitic walls. As this is not a very dense material, through the interleaving of vesicular lenses, the oyster develops a shell that is both strong and lightweight. It also means that thick shells can be produced with a considerable saving in construction material, which is metabolically costly,” explains Professor Antonio Checa, a researcher at the UGR’s Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology and the main author of this work.

The study carried out at the UGR focused on how these oysters build their vesicular layers. “Apart from other techniques, we relied on three-dimensional reconstructions and measurements of the vesicular layers of present-day gryphaeid oysters taken with a micro-computed tomography scanner from the UGR’s Centre for Scientific Instrumentation (CIC). All the results show that the vesicular material has topological properties and behaviours similar to those of a solid foam,” explains Checa.

An emulsion within the extrapallial space

The researchers have concluded that the oyster produces this material by first creating an emulsion within the extrapallial space between the liquid-like precursor of the calcite walls and the extrapallial fluid. Importantly, foams (gas–liquid systems) and emulsions (liquid–liquid systems) are colloidal systems that obey the same laws and behave similarly. When growth occurs, the liquid precursor of the calcite crystallises, creating ‘bubbles’, the walls of which solidify. These are then incorporated into the vesicular layer, at the same time as the extrapallial space moves, and, within it, the emulsion continues to evolve.

“For this mechanism to work, each mantle cell must be able to recognise (via contact recognition) the component or components (liquid precursor for calcite or extrapallial fluid) of the emulsion with which it is in contact, and to continue to secrete one or the other, according to this information,” says the UGR professor.

While the process of creating foams typically takes place in large spaces, and bubbles are created and disappear all at once, foam oysters have developed their own ‘technology’ that enables them to develop these sheet-by-sheet, much like a 3D printer. In this way, they have solved the problem of the space restrictions of the extrapallial space. Therefore, the vesicular material of oysters is under a dual control: physical (self-organization of an emulsion) and biological (sophisticated cellular behaviour). 

The mineralised materials secreted by organisms, of which there is a wide variety, pose very interesting biophysical problems. They are also of significant interest in the field of material science because they have exceptional biomechanical properties (lightness, strength, and flexibility), beyond those of their individual components (basically calcium carbonate and organic matter). Hence, they provide inspiration for the development of new highly functional synthetic compounds.

Bibliography:

Checa AG, Linares F, Maldonado-Valderrama J, & Harper EM (2020) Foamy oysters: Vesicular microstructure production in the Gryphaeidae via emulsification’, Journal of the Royal Society Interface 17 (170). Online: 20200505. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2020.0505

Images A, B, C, D, E, and F. Vesicular microstructure of gryphaeid oysters. 

A. View of the interior of a valve showing lenses of vesicular microstructure along the edge. B. Detail of vesicular lenses (porous, ‘v’) and foliated material layers (compact, ‘f’). C. Cross-section of a valve. An intercalation of vesicular (v) and foliated (f) layers can be observed. D. Fracture across a vesicular lens. The existence of growth lines (see arrows) indicates that the material grows by adding infinitesimally small increments. E. View of the inner surface of a vesicular layer, showing its cellular appearance (foam-like). F. Micro-CT images showing the interior of the vesicles. In some cases they are elongated (left) or present irregular morphologies (right).

Fabrication mechanism for the vesicular material. Living tissue (the mantle) is attached to the surface of the growing shell. The mantle cells are capable of recognising the edges of the calcitic walls of the vesicles (red arrows) and secreting onto these edges a thin film of calcite liquid precursor (the thickness of which is limited by the submicrometric dimensions of the extrapallial space). There is no calcite precursor secretion on the rest of the surface. Over time, this liquid precursor crystallizes to form calcite. As this process repeats, a series of increments are added (marked by growth lines).

The four authors of this work. From left to right, Antonio Checa (UGR), Elizabeth Harper (University of Cambridge, UK), Fátima Linares (UGR), and Julia Maldonado (UGR)

Media enquiries:

Antonio Checa

Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, Faculty of Science, University of Granada

Tel.: +34 958 243201

Email: acheca@ugr.es

New study finds that some individuals regard poor people more like animals than humans and refuse to help, blaming them for their circumstances

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A PhD thesis developed at the University of Granada has been announced the winner of the IV (2020) Research Prize for Young Doctors, organised by the Spanish Scientific Society of Social Psychology

According to the researchers, there are parts of the population that dehumanise people of low socioeconomic status, considering them inferior beings with traits that are more characteristic of animals than humans—for example, being irrational or impulsive 

Research carried out at the University of Granada (UGR) suggests that certain parts of the population dehumanise people of low socioeconomic status, considering them inferior beings with traits that are more characteristic of animals than humans—for example, irrational or impulsive behaviours.

The research is part of the PhD thesis of Mario Sainz Martínez, which was supervised by Professors Rosa Rodríguez Bailón and Miguel Moya Morales of the UGR’s Department of Social Psychology. Rocío Martínez, a lecturer at the Department, also contributed to the study. The work has recently been announced the winner of the IV (2020) Research Prize for Young Doctors, organised by the Spanish Scientific Society of Social Psychology.

The current rise in economic inequality that we are witnessing in our society is particularly affecting those collectives with a low socioeconomic status—that is, poor people or those of a low social class. Despite this reality, today many people are against public policies that seek to reduce inequality, for example by redistributing wealth from the individuals and/or groups with the most to those who have the least. In this prize-winning study, the UGR researchers sought to understand the factors that might be influencing this opposition to public policies designed to help the most vulnerable in our society.

“We started from the basis of our previous work, in which we identified that people with a low socioeconomic status are dehumanised by others,” the authors explain. “Specifically, poor people and/or groups are seen by certain parts of the population as inferior beings and as having traits that are more characteristic of animals (such as irrationality or impulsiveness) than human beings. This ‘animalised’ perception of the poorest groups could, according to our hypotheses, be one of the factors that influence how people perceive poverty and their support for, or opposition to, public policies that seek to help this population.”

Animal traits

To test these hypotheses, the researchers conducted two studies (one correlational and the other experimental) in which they asked the participants (a sample of 523 subjects between 18 and 65 years of age) to what extent they considered people with a low socioeconomic status to have characteristics typically associated with human beings or, conversely, more typically associated with animals. The authors also included measures designed to illuminate what the sample believed to be the reasons for which some people find themselves in a situation of poverty, and to what extent the sample considered that policies favour of greater economic equality should be supported.

The results showed that the more an individual tends toward ‘animalising’ poor people—associating them with animal traits—the more they are likely to oppose the implementation of redistributive economic policies. The relationship between these variables seems to be explained by the causes to which people attribute poverty.

“Specifically, the more people ‘animalise’ the poor, the more they blame them for their dire circumstances. This is because people largely consider poverty to be the result of certain traits that they perceive to be characteristic of the poor (for example, that they do not want a job or that they are lazy). At the same time, they minimise the role of external factors such as the difficulty of finding work or the effect of economic recessions),” the authors explain.

In general, these results show how the dehumanisation of the poor influences our interpretation of the causes of poverty and how this, in turn, impacts on our support for, or objection to, wealth distribution policies.

Bibliography:

Sainz, M., Martínez, R., Sutton, R. M., Rodríguez-Bailón, R., & Moya, M. (2020). ‘Less human, more to blame: Animalizing poor people increases blame and decreases support for wealth redistribution’, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 23(4), 546–59. Online: https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430219841135

Mario Sainz Martínez, researcher at the UGR and one of the authors of this work

People of low socioeconomic status are dehumanised by certain parts of the population as if they were inferior beings with traits more characteristic of animals (for example, irrationality or impulsiveness) than human beings.

Media enquiries:

Rosa Rodríguez Bailón
The Social Psychology of Inequality Lab: http://wwwlocal.ugr.es/~psidesigualdad/

Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada
Tel.: +34 958 240690

Email: rrbailon@ugr.es  

Mario Sainz Martinez

School of Psychology, University of Monterrey, MexicoEmail: mario.sainz@udem.edu

Researchers find that the way in which individuals use humour on a daily basis is directly related to online trolling

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A study by the universities of Granada and Jaén is the first to analyse the relationship between the use of humour and the propensity to perpetrate online trolling 

A study carried out by the universities of Granada and Jaén has shown that people who derive pleasure from making fun of others (a personality trait known as katagelasticism) are more likely to perpetrate online trolling. This is the first time the relationship between people’s different humour-related dispositions and their propensity toward online trolling behaviours has been analysed.

Trolling is widely considered a specific form of antisocial behaviour that takes place on different online platforms or websites, such as social networks or virtual discussion forums. This online behaviour manifests itself through malicious and deliberate provocation of other users that is often disrespectful and is fundamentally a means by which the troll simply amuses and entertains themselves.   

Previous studies had shown that different components of the so-called ‘dark personality’, which reflects certain malevolent characteristics, are closely related to the tendency to display trolling behaviours. These studies had analysed the relationship between narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism, respectively, and the propensity to troll others online. In general, sadism and psychopathy factors were found to be the most consistent variables of trolling. The authors of the new study, Ginés Navarro-Carrillo, lecturer at the Department of Psychology of the UJA, and Jorge Torres-Marín and Hugo Carretero-Dios of the UGR, explain: “People who presented higher levels of these dark personality traits showed a greater propensity to troll other users online.”

However, the researchers note that there are also other personality traits that may be related to online trolling. In their paper ‘Do trolls just want to have fun? Assessing the role of humour-related traits in online trolling behaviour’, recently published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, they premised their investigation on the idea that certain humour-related dispositions—particularly those associated with so-called ‘dark’ or ‘black’ humour—might be of help in determining the profile of a ‘trolling personality’. This hypothesis primarily drew on previous studies that had found a link between certain humour-related dispositions and dark personality traits and had contended that humour may play an important role in online trolling.  

“Taking all of this into account, we aimed to analyse whether different humour-related dispositions or senses of humour—how individuals use humour in their daily lives—were related to trolling and whether these possible associations arose regardless of the dark personality traits of the individuals concerned,” the authors note.

They found that higher levels of katagelasticism and an aggressive or hostile sense of humour (characterised by the use of humour to ridicule or deride others) were indicative of a greater inclination toward online trolling. However, subsequent analyses revealed that only katagelasticism was linked to a greater propensity to exhibit trolling behaviours after controlling for dark personality traits. This demonstrates the importance of this particular humour trait in shaping the trolling personality. Regarding the dark personality, greater (subclinical) psychopathy, relative to the other dimensions, was found to be the most powerful predictor of online trolling.

“Our study provides the first empirical evidence to confirm the relationship between humour, evaluated using different validated models, and online trolling. Our research suggests that dark humour traits, particularly katagelasticism, constitute a characteristic aspect of the troll profile,” the researchers conclude.

The UJA and UGR researchers who conducted this study. From left to right, Ginés Navarro, Hugo Carretero, and Jorge Torres.

Media enquiries:

Hugo Carretero Dios
Department of Behavioural Science Methodology, University of Granada
Tel.: +34 958 246273
Email: hugocd@ugr.es 

Tags: Department of Behavioural Science Methodology

An intercultural study finds that we picture the past ahead of us or behind us depending on the importance we attach to it

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Researchers from the University of Granada have carried out the most comprehensive study to date—comprising 22 cultural groups—on the relationship between the importance that people attach to the past and how they picture it: as lying ahead of them or behind them

The authors found a linear relationship in which the cultures under study could be arranged in order, such that the more traditional the culture (attaching greater importance to the past), the greater people’s tendency to conceive the past as lying ahead of them

Think of a personal episode from the past. If someone were to ask you if you were visualising it as lying ahead of you or behind you, what would you say? Researchers from the University of Granada (UGR) have demonstrated that the answer depends on the relevance you assign to the past in your personal value system. To arrive at this conclusion, they carried out the most comprehensive study to date—comprising 22 cultural groups—on the relationship between the importance that people attach to the past and how they picture it. The results of the study indicate that people for whom the past is of greater importance (for example, because they belong to a highly traditional culture) tend to visualise the past as being ahead of them and the future behind them. Conversely, those who attach more importance to the future (for example, those from a progress-orientated culture) tend to picture the past as being behind them and the future ahead.

The principal researchers of this study are Carmen Callizo-Romero and Julio Santiago of the UGR’s Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC). Nine other international co-authors are collaborating in the investigation.

Callizo-Romero explains that “we tend to think that the future is located ahead of us and the past behind us because we walk forward. Ahead of us are the places where we will be in the future, and behind us are those where we have already been. However, although this pattern may seem universal, it is not. There is at least one other factor that moderates it, and this is what we have investigated.”

The Temporal Focus Hypothesis and previous studies

The study was based on the Temporal Focus Hypothesis, a concept used in the Psychology field that suggests that when we attach importance to something, we pay attention to it; and that this, in turn, leads us to place it in front of us, in our mind’s eye—that is, it is located ahead of the person. When applied to time, this concept implies that the relative importance given to the past (compared to the future) situates it ahead of us. This concept was formulated for the first time in a study published in 2014 by the same UGR laboratory that has published the current study, the GroundedCognitionLab. 

The 2014 study was conducted on a sample of Spanish and Moroccan participants. It showed that the latter tend to picture the past as lying ahead of them and that this is due to their stronger traditional culture. In other words, Moroccans tend to place the past ahead of themselves when they picture it because they attach great importance to values ​​related to the past, such as traditions, customs, and respect for their elders. However, young Spaniards attached more importance to values ​​related to the future, such as progress and development, and tended to place the future ahead, accordingly. Following the publication of this earlier work, numerous studies from other international universities—with participants from cultures around the world, particularly Asian cultures—have provided evidence in support of this hypothesis.

The new study and its main finding

In this new study, the UGR researchers tested the scope and validity of the Temporal Focus Hypothesis. First, they collected data from participants from seven different cultures (American, Spanish, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, Moroccan, and Turkish) and combined them with the data from the Moroccan and Spanish participants in the previous study conducted in their laboratory. The authors found a linear relationship in which the cultures under study could be arranged in order, such that the more traditional the culture (attaching greater importance to the past), the greater people’s tendency to picture the past as lying ahead.

“Furthermore, we suspected that this linear relationship could predict the results of the other previously-published studies on the Temporal Focus Hypothesis that used our same methodology. We were able to verify this thanks to the authors of these studies, who provided us with their data which derived from different cultures—in particular, from South African and British participants and various subcultures of China and Vietnam,” says Callizo-Romero. The UGR researchers found that all the cultures studied are, indeed, ordered according to their prediction. “This is important because it indicates that the prediction can be useful for estimating the extent to which people of any culture (or subculture) are likely to picture the past as lying ahead of them, knowing only how much importance they attach to the values ​​of the past compared to those of the future.”

In short, the findings of this latest UGR study entirely support the Temporal Focus Hypothesis: attaching importance to the past can lead us to picture it ahead of us, rather than behind.

Bibliography:

Callizo-Romero, C., Tutnjević, S., Pandza, M., Ouellet, M., Kranjec, A., Ilić, S., Gu, Y., Göksun, T., Chahboun, S., Casasanto, D., & Santiago, J. (2020). ‘Temporal focus and time spatialization across cultures’, Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. Online: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-020-01760-5

Media enquiries:

Carmen Callizo-Romero

Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC)

Email: carmencallizo@ugr.es

UGR scientists attempt to strengthen the nasal and oral mucosae to render them impermeable and prevent the Coronavirus from penetrating them

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The research project, in which the CSIC and the University of Barcelona are also participating along with the UGR, aims to develop an aerosol with lipids similar to those of the skin that emulate its impermeability when applied to the mucous membranes—thus reducing or avoiding penetration by the virus

Aerosols could be used on the nasal and oral mucosae to provide additional protection to facemasks in the fight against Covid-19

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR), in collaboration with the Spanish Higher National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Barcelona (UB), are working on a project to strengthen the nasal and oral mucosae, increase their barrier effect, and reduce their permeability to limit or prevent penetration by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus infiltrates mainly through the nasal or oral mucosa, as opposed to the relatively low incidence of penetration through the skin. The study therefore aims to develop aerosols that ‘mimic’ skin lipids in their chemical and structural composition, as the latter are known to be more impervious to Coronavirus.

If this approach proves successful, better-reinforced lipid structures would form in the mucosae, which could help prevent the virus from penetrating. This innovation would not provide full protection, but the reduction in permeability could partially impede penetration of the virus at the systemic level and thus protect people. It could be particularly valuable for healthcare workers.

The research team comprises the Cosmetic and Textile Innovations Research Group of the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC), which pertains to the CSIC; the UB; and the UGR. Together, they are conducting the research & development project ‘Mucosal Modification as a Protection against SARS-COV-2”.

After optimizing the most suitable methodologies to evaluate the permeability of the mucosae, the researchers will first apply different aerosol formulations based on compounds similar to those of the skin on oral and nasal mucosae in an attempt to determine their impermeability. Next, they will analyse the capacity of a virus model (similar to coronavirus) to penetrate the mucosae that have been protected with the new aerosol.

“This innovation will probably not provide complete protection, but the decrease in permeability will partially prevent the virus from penetrating at the systemic level and will probably provide additional protection to that of facemasks,” explains Beatriz Clares Naveros, a lecturer at the UGR’s Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, who is participating in this project together with Mª Luisa Coderch Negra (CSIC/IQAC) and Ana Cristina Calpena Campmany (UB). The team of scientists from the CSIC specialise in the chemical and structural composition of skin lipids. They have worked extensively on the extraction and characterization of lipids from keratin tissues such as the stratum corneum (the outermost layer) of skin, hair, wool, and so on.

Barrier function

Ana Calpena, from the UB’s Faculty of Pharmacy, will bring to the project her specialist knowledge of the structure, kinetics, and permeability of mucosae. Beatriz Clares will be in charge of designing and developing different formulations with protective and mucoadhesive action that can be applied to the mucosae to increase their barrier function properties.

As the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum is made up of about 20 sub-layers of dead cells, known as corneocytes, which form a layered packing structure. Between the corneocytes are perfectly-structured lipid bilayers composed of lipids (ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol) that help create a practically impenetrable protective barrier. This layer becomes permeable only in the case of wounds, burns, or skin diseases.

However, the mucosae—the barriers that protect the mouth, pharynx, bronchi, lungs, and digestive system—are much more permeable and thus vulnerable to infection. “The mucous membranes are open to the outside world and that is why they have mechanisms against microbes, such as the enzymes in our saliva or the cilia in our bronchi, which are like minuscule hairs designed to filter the air we breathe. But these mechanisms are insufficient in the face of a virus like SARS-Cov-2,” the researchers explain.

“The potential impact would be huge if the entire population could be protected via the nasal mucosa from SARS-CoV-2, even partially. Today, the only protection against Covid-19 infection is based on the use of facemasks. We do not know the extent to which permeability could be reduced, but it would at least provide additional protection to the mask,” the authors note.

The raw materials used must preserve the natural properties of healthy mucosae and, at the same time, block the virus from entering, chemically and/or mechanically. The researchers will analyse the combined use of formulations that block or degrade the virus to provide synergistic effects. The design of these formulations will take into account two criteria, composition and dosage form, as both could be influential in fulfilling the aim of the project.

As well as their respective areas of specialisation, all the researchers involved in the project have extensive experience in topical administration and, between them, have carried out hundreds of absorption/permeation studies to evaluate the penetration of active ingredients through the skin or mucosae.

Cross-section of porcine buccal mucosa for ex vivo studies

The UGR researcher Beatriz Clares Naveros

Media enquiries:

Beatriz Clares Naveros, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology

Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada

Tel.: + 34 958 246664

Email: beatrizclares@ugr.es