https://hdl.handle.net/2072/1057 www.ub.edu 2026-04-15T03:59:06Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228846 Mirar l'improbable Bueno i Torrens, David, 1965- Pot semblar que els esports d’equip i la física quàntica no tenen res en comú, però com succeeix amb les partícules subatòmiques, la connexió invisible entre els jugadors és la que crea una força extraordinària capaç de transformar el resultat més improbable en una victòria compartida. Per això aquest mes us apropo dos llibres que, malgrat que pugui semblar tot el contrari, tenen més punts en comú del que sembla: la potència formadora dels esports d’equip i la creadora de realitats de la física quàntica. 2026-04-13T06:21:10Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228851 Navigating spatio-temporal microbiome dynamics: Environmental factors and trace elements shape the symbiont community of an invasive marine species Galià Camps, Carles; Junkin, Liam; Borrallo, Xavier; Carreras Huergo, Carlos; Pascual Damieta, Marta; Turon Barrera, Xavier The proliferation of marine invasive species is a mounting concern. While the role of microbial communities in invasive ascidian species is recognized, the role of seasonal shifts in microbiome composition remains largely unexplored. We sampled five individuals of the invasive ascidian Styela plicata quarterly from January 2020 to October 2021 in two harbours, examining gills, tunics, and surrounding water. By analysing Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) and seawater trace elements, we found that compartment (seawater, tunic, or gills) was the primary differentiating factor, followed by harbour. Clear seasonal patterns were evident in seawater bacteria, less so in gills, and absent in tunics. We identified compartment-specific bacteria, as well as seasonal indicator ASVs and ASVs correlated with trace element concentrations. Among these bacteria, we found that Endozoicomonas, Hepatoplasma and Rhodobacteraceae species had reported functions which might be necessary for overcoming seasonality and trace element shifts. This study contributes to understanding microbiome dynamics in invasive holobiont systems, and the patterns found indicate a potential role in adaptation and invasiveness. 2026-04-13T07:18:09Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228849 Modulation of the gut microbiome-adipose tissue axis by maqui supplementation improved insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in mice under a high-fat diet. Tume, Rafael; Cruz, Meryl; Sandoval, Viviana; Iglesias-Vejar, Lorena; Sanz Lamora, Héctor; Pérez-Martí, A.; Torres-Oteros, Daniel; Cubedo-Cullere, Marta; Carmona Pontaque, Francesc; Martínez Huélamo, Miriam; Marrero González, Pedro F.; Haro, D.; Canudas Puig, Sílvia; Andrés Lacueva, Ma. Cristina; Relat, Joana; Meroño, Tomás To assess the impact of maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) supplementation on the gut microbiome-adipose tissue axis, and to associate it with gene expression changes in white adipose tissue (WAT) in mice fed a high-fat diet. Our hypothesis is that the gut microbiome-adipose tissue axis will be involved in Maqui's effect on WAT browning. Twenty-nine 4-week-old C57BL/6 J mice were randomly assigned to a high-fat diet (HFD, n = 15) or HFD + Maqui (n = 14) for 16 weeks. Plasma samples were analyzed using an UPLC-QTRAP exposome-based metabolomics method. Gut microbiome was studied by fecal 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Gene expression in WAT was assessed by real-time PCR. Data were analyzed by multivariate methods and integrated through multiomics analyses. Maqui supplementation induced an increase in Lactobacillus, Lactococcus and Bifidobacterum and a reduction in Desulfovibrium, and Acetatifactor. Out of 19 metabolites altered by maqui supplementation, 9 were derived from gut bacterial fermentation of anthocyanins. Increases in L. gasseri and L. johnsonii in the gut were associated to increased production of phenyllactic acid, 4-O-methylgallic acid, and 3-(3′-hydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone. Integrative analysis revealed a concerted role of Lactobacillus spp. and its ability to ferment maqui polyphenols, along with increased expression of Chrebpb, Pgc1a and Ucp1 in WAT. Enrichment of Lactobacillus gasseri and johnsonii and exposure to 2-hydroxybenzoic acid derived from polyphenols fermentation are evidences of the involvment of the gut-microbiome-adipose tissue axis in WAT browning induced by maqui. 2026-04-13T06:58:52Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228853 Equibiaxial Stretching Device for High Magnification Live-Cell Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy Le Roux, Anabel-Lise; Venturini, Valeria; Gómez González, Manuel; Beedle, Amy E. M.; Quiroga, Xarxa; Menino, Xavier; Trepat Guixer, Xavier; Roca-Cusachs Soulere, Pere Cells are continuously exposed to mechanical forces in physiological and pathological situations, including a variety of tensile and compressive stresses. There is very active research exploring how cells and tissues respond and adapt to such stresses and how these responses integrate with mechanochemical signaling. This has generated a need for sophisticated tools compatible with standard cell culture protocols and microscopy methods, reproducing physiological stresses in in-vitro studies. This study presents the design, function, and characterization of a stretching device compatible with high-resolution optical and fluorescence microscopy. Numerous stretching devices, either pneumatic- or motor-based, have been developed and used in the field. We present one of these systems in detail, including design guidelines, a variety of applications, and all the tools to fabricate a similar setup. The system is based on a deformable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane, stretched equibiaxially upon vacuum application, rendering a homogeneous, reproducible, and controlled sample strain. It provides a variety of tensile stresses, from punctual and immediate stretch to repeated stretch-release cycles of controlled amplitude and frequency. Substrate coating with adhesion proteins allows seeding cells bearing fluorescent reporters in the stretching device and performing live-imaging of these cells upon stretch using high magnification fluorescence microscopes. Compressive stresses can also be applied by letting the sample adapt to stretch and subsequently releasing it or by seeding the sample on a pre-stretched substrate before stretch release. Additional topographical patterning of the PDMS substrate enables imaging of the same sample in different microscopy modes (such as fluorescence and electron microscopy). Polyacrylamide gels can also be attached to the PDMS membrane, resulting in the stretching of cells seeded on substrates of different stiffnesses. Overall, by applying controlled tensile stresses on live samples, this stretching device, coupled with high-quality fluorescence microscopy, can address a large variety of questions in mechanobiology. 2026-04-13T08:01:14Z