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Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference, Cephalopods in the Anthropocene: Multiple Challenges in a Changing Ocean, April 2-8, 2022, Sesimbra, Portugal, In past centuries, the impacts on cephalopods from humankind were negligible. The first documented small-scale exploitation of cephalopods occurred in the Mediterranean and Asia. Between 1950-2019, global cephalopod catches increased by about an order of magnitude, from 0.5 million tones to a peak of 4.85 million tons. The human impact on the oceans also increased substantially in this period. Human-induced climate change, habitat destruction, increased marine traffic, development of coastal infrastructure, pollution and growing fishing effort, may all have had negative impacts on cephalopod populations. But while the responses to anthropogenic impacts have been investigated for many ecosystem components, those for cephalopods are largely unknown. Cephalopods are sensitive to multiple environmental variables such as ocean temperature and dissolved oxygen concentrations, while geographic shifts in distribution in response to temperature changes are already documented. Their sensitivities to other human pressures are beginning to emerge, but most of these still need to be examined. How much habitat has been lost? How does noise affect cephalopods? What are the lethal thresholds for various chemical pollutants, or how may these act to inhibit reproduction? Does light pollution impact cephalopods? With such knowledge gaps, it is difficult to predict how cephalopods will respond to increasing human impacts. Our study aims to provide a review of what is known about anthropogenic impacts on cephalopods and their potential responses to these impacts. This information can be used to identify the research priorities for improving our understanding of human-induced impacts on cephalopods and the development of mitigation measures

De novo mutations are known to play a prominent role in sporadic disorders with reduced fitness. We hypothesize that de novo mutations play an important role in severe male infertility and explain a portion of the genetic causes of this understudied disorder. To test this hypothesis, we utilize trio-based exome sequencing in a cohort of 185 infertile males and their unaffected parents. Following a systematic analysis, 29 of 145 rare (MAF < 0.1%) protein-altering de novo mutations are classified as possibly causative of the male infertility phenotype. We observed a significant enrichment of loss-of-function de novo mutations in loss-of-function-intolerant genes (p-value = 1.00 × 10-5) in infertile men compared to controls. Additionally, we detected a significant increase in predicted pathogenic de novo missense mutations affecting missense-intolerant genes (p-value = 5.01 × 10-4) in contrast to predicted benign de novo mutations. One gene we identify, RBM5, is an essential regulator of male germ cell pre-mRNA splicing and has been previously implicated in male infertility in mice. In a follow-up study, 6 rare pathogenic missense mutations affecting this gene are observed in a cohort of 2,506 infertile patients, whilst we find no such mutations in a cohort of 5,784 fertile men (p-value = 0.03). Our results provide evidence for the role of de novo mutations in severe male infertility and point to new candidate genes affecting fertility. © 2022, The Author(s).

The workshop on the production of swept-area estimates for all hauls in DATRAS for biodiver-sity assessments (WKSAE-DATRAS) considered three groups of surveys for which data are sub-mitted to the Database of Trawl Surveys (DATRAS): various Beam Trawl Surveys, the Northeast Atlantic International Bottom Trawl Survey (Northeast Atlantic IBTS), and the North Sea Inter-national Bottom Trawl Survey (North Sea IBTS). All countries contributing to the above-mentioned surveys were represented by at least one par-ticipant during the workshop, apart from the Netherlands and Norway. The main objectives of the workshop were to establish tow-by-tow swept-area estimates for time-series as far back in time as possible, compare different approaches for the estimates of missing observations, and harmonize the resulting dataseries for biodiversity assessments. For all of the surveys considered, problems with data quality were detected. This included the Beam Trawl Surveys but was most pronounced for the North Sea IBTS. Outliers and potential erroneous data were listed for reporting back to the respective national institutes. In particular, missing observations or algorithms affected wing spread-based swept-area, which is needed in several applications. This workshop compared the Marine Scotland Science-MSS/OSPAR approach, which includes a data quality check for the information needed for the calculation of swept-area, and the DATRAS approach, which depends solely on correctly reported data from the national institutes. Larger data gaps were identified, in particular for several years of the North Sea IBTS. For those surveys, it is proposed that the best possible way forward at this moment is to use estimates based on the MSS/OSPAR approach. However, if dubious records (i.e. extreme outliers) were identified by the MSS/OSPAR and no other information was available, values (e.g. speed over ground or the depth at which a change from short to long sweeps should have happened) were taken from the manual. However, expe-rience has shown that the survey manuals are not followed in all instances, and so persistent country-specific and survey-specific deviations may occur. The national institutes are encouraged to check, correct, and fill in missing survey data through re-submissions to DATRAS. It is recommended that DATRAS data quality control on data sub-mission is extended for the information needed for the calculation of swept-area (e.g. distance, depth, door spread, and wing spread) and that this is done in close cooperation between the ICES Data Centre and the respective ICES survey working groups, WGBEAM (Working Group on Beam Trawl Surveys) and IBTSWG (International Bottom Trawl Survey Working Group).

Background Yellow fever (YF) is a hemorrhagic disease caused by an arbovirus endemic in South America, with recent outbreaks in the last years. Severe cases exhibit fulminant hepatitis, but there are no studies regarding its late-term effects on liver parenchyma. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency and grade of liver fibrosis in patients who recovered from severe YF and to point out potential predictors of this outcome. Methodology/Principal findings We followed-up 18 patients who survived severe YF during a recent outbreak (January-April 2018) in Brazil using ultrasound (US) with shear-wave elastography (SWE) at 6 months after symptoms onset. No patient had previous history of liver disease. Median liver stiffness (LS) was 5.3 (4.6–6.4) kPa. 2 (11.1%) patients were classified as Metavir F2, 1 (8.3%) as F3 and 1 (8.3%) as F4; these two last patients had features of cardiogenic liver congestion on Doppler analysis. Age and cardiac failure were associated with increased LS (p = 0.036 and p = 0.024, respectively). SAPS-3 at ICU admission showed a tendency of association with significant fibrosis (≥ F2; p = 0.053). 7 patients used sofosbuvir in a research protocol, of which none showed liver fibrosis (p = 0.119). Conclusions/Significance We found a low frequency of liver fibrosis in severe YF survivors. US with SWE may have a role in the follow up of patients of age and / or with comorbidities after hospital discharge in severe YF, a rare but reemergent disease., Author summary Yellow fever (YF) is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes and represents an important health problem in countries of South America and Africa, with recent outbreaks in the past few years. Severe cases lead to fulminant hepatitis and death; it has also been reported that surviving patients tend to recover / “regenerate” the liver after the acute phase of the disease. However, there are no prior investigations on this matter. Thus, we followed up a group of previously healthy patients who had severe YF 6 months after the initial symptoms, using a non-invasive ultrasound technique of estimating the liver fibrosis (scar tissue) grade, called elastography. In our findings, we report a low frequency of liver fibrosis. Thus, we concluded that patients who had severe YF are not likely to have late-term liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Nevertheless, there are some specific individuals (older or with chronic diseases) that might need further evaluation.

O artigo trata da reflexão a respeito da linearidade das relações causais que envolvem as mudanças ambientais –aqui identificadas como as transformações dos sistemas naturais, climáticos e socioculturais decorrentes do modo de vida contemporâneo- e seus impactos na subjetividade (humana) –dimensão dos sentimentos e sensações relacionados a estas mudanças. Para desenvolver o presente trabalho, foram realizados debates teórico conceituais com o objetivo de situar a pandemia covid 19 como desastre associado ao modo de vida contemporâneo presente no processo de urbanização das cidades. Quanto mais a vida diária é reconstituída na confluência entre o local e o global, em momentos de forte mudança ambiental -tais como o cenário distópico representado pelo advento COVID 19- mais os indivíduos sofrem, sentem medos e são desafiados a elaborar estratégias para sua própria sobrevivência. Desse modo, mais do que consequência ao desastre da pandemia, a subjetividade passa a ser conceituada como potencialidade transformadora -continuum dinâmico- ampliando seu alcance como perspectiva de ação diante do desastre. A incerteza em relação ao futuro pode suscitar processos de constituição de novas realidades, por meio da abertura de espaços políticos que favoreçam a criatividade, vista como estratégia de enfrentamento. Desse modo, a retomada de caminhos adaptativos frente às transformações em curso pode ser possível, se a “poética da existência” encontrar seu espaço de emergência e atuação.&nbsp

Background Severe spermatogenic failure (SpF) represents the most extreme manifestation of male infertility, as it decreases drastically the semen quality leading to either severe oligospermia (SO

In the most recent Brazilian yellow fever (YF) outbreak, a group of clinicians and researchers initiated in mid-January 2018 a considerable effort to develop a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effect of sofosbuvir on YF viremia and clinical outcomes (Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry: RBR-93dp9n). The approval of this protocol had urgency given the seasonal/short-lived pattern of YF transmission, large number of human cases, and epidemic transmission at the outskirts of a large urban center. However, many intricacies in the research regulatory and ethical submission systems in Brazil were indomitable even under such pressing conditions. By April 2018, we had enrolled 29 patients for a target sample size of 90 participants. Had enrollment been initiated 3 weeks earlier, an additional 31 patients could have been enrolled, reaching the prespecified sample size for the interim analysis. This recent experience highlights the urgent need to improve local preparedness for research in the setting of explosive outbreaks, as has been seen in the last few years in different countries.

Objective: To evaluate whether SOHLH2 intronic variation contributes to the genetic predisposition to male infertility traits, including severe oligospermia (SO) and different nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) clinical phenotypes. Design: Genetic association study. Setting: Not applicable. Patient(s): Five hundred five cases (455 infertile patients diagnosed with NOA and 50 with SO) and 1,050 healthy controls from Spain and Portugal. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Genomic DNA extraction from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, genotyping of the SOHLH2 polymorphisms rs1328626 and rs6563386 using the TaqMan allelic discrimination technology, case-control association analyses using logistic regression models, and exploration of functional annotations in publicly available databases. Result(s): Evidence of association was observed for both rs6563386 with SO and rs1328626 with unsuccessful sperm retrieval after testicular sperm extraction (TESE-) in the context of NOA. A dominant effect of the minor alleles was suggested in both associations, either when the subset of patients with the manifestation were compared against the control group (rs6563386/SO: P=.021, odds ratio [OR] = 0.51; rs1328626/TESE-: P=.066, OR = 1.46) or against the group of patients without the manifestation (rs6563386/SO: P=.014, OR = 0.46; rs1328626/TESE-: P=.012, OR = 2.43). The haplotype tests suggested a combined effect of both polymorphisms. In silico analyses evidenced that this effect could be due to alteration of the isoform population. Conclusion(s): Our data suggest that intronic variation of SOHLH2 is associated with spermatogenic failure. The genetic effect is likely caused by different haplotypes of rs6563386 and rs1328626, which may predispose to SO or TESE- depending on the specific allelic combination. ((C) 2020 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)

Tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) diagnosis is challenging due to the lack of a gold standard diagnostic tool. The diagnosis is significantly harder in regions where visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is also prevalent since immunological tests may present cross-reactivity. A cirrhotic patient from an endemic Brazilian region for TL and VL presented with atypical cutaneous lesions, a usual clinico-laboratory feature of VL (including a positive rk39 test result), but he was diagnosed with TL histopathologically; VL was ruled out by necropsy. Physicians working in co-prevalent areas should be aware of atypical features, unusual clinical course, and unexpected laboratory findings of leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND Despite a highly efficacious vaccine, yellow fever (YF) is still a major threat in developing countries and a cause of outbreaks. In 2018, the Brazilian state of São Paulo witnessed a new YF outbreak in areas where the virus has not been detected before. OBJECTIVE The aim is to describe the clinical and laboratorial characteristics of severe cases of YF, evaluate viral to determine markers associated with fatal outcome. METHODS Acute severe YF cases (n = 62) were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a reference hospital and submitted to routine laboratorial evaluation on admission. YFV-RNA was detected in serum and urine by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and then sequenced. Patients were classified in two groups: survival or death. FINDINGS In the univariate analysis the following variables were associated with outcome: alanin aminotransferase (ALT), aspartat aminotransferase (AST), AST/ALT ratio, total bilirubin (TB), chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI), ammonia, lipase, factor V, international normalised ratio (INR), lactate and bicarbonate. Logistic regression model showed two independent variables associated with death: lipase [odds ratio (OR) 1.018, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.007 to 1.030, p = 0.002], and factor V (OR -0.955, 95% CI 0.929 to 0.982, p = 0.001). The estimated lipase and factor V cut-off values that maximised sensitivity and specificity for death prediction were 147.5 U/L [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.879], and 56.5% (AUC = 0.913). MAIN CONCLUSIONS YF acute severe cases show a generalised involvement of different organs (liver, spleen, heart, kidneys, intestines and pancreas), and different parameters were related to outcome. Factor V and lipase are independent variables associated with death, reinforcing the importance of hemorrhagic events due to fulminant liver failure and pointing to pancreatitis as a relevant event in the outcome of the disease.

Submitted by Divis??o de Documenta????o/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2018-09-19T13:39:54Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) DISSERTACAO SILVIO SEIXAS_CapaDura.pdf: 5501434 bytes, checksum: 06fc4b94c11656e7f16631f9c0b50a6c (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Divis??o de Documenta????o/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2018-09-19T13:40:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) DISSERTACAO SILVIO SEIXAS_CapaDura.pdf: 5501434 bytes, checksum: 06fc4b94c11656e7f16631f9c0b50a6c (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-19T13:40:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) DISSERTACAO SILVIO SEIXAS_CapaDura.pdf: 5501434 bytes, checksum: 06fc4b94c11656e7f16631f9c0b50a6c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-26 FAPEAM - Funda????o de Amparo ?? Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas The objective of this study was to survey the use and occupation of land from the land-based water systems within the boundaries of the GUAJUMA Environmental Protection Area, taking as a space-time scale the physiognomy of the current landscape from the 1980s (State Park) to the 2010. The study area (APA GUAJUMA, municipality of Nhamund?? - Amazonas) covers the following geographic coordinates: North - 2 ?? 5'21.61 "S - 56 ?? 51'30.86" W; Sul-2 ?? 18'17.48 ?? S-56 ?? 49'20.07 ?? W; East-2 ?? 10'20.68 "S-56 ?? 46'49.60" W; West-2 ?? 12'26.02 "S-57 ?? 3'33.07" W. The methodology was based on the Case Study, whose main techniques are: data collection at the research site - Direct Observation, Geographic Inventory Protocol; Geographic Information System - computer environment consisting of the following: ArcGis 10.1; TerraClass Project (INPE / EMBRAPA-2004-2014), LANDSAT TM 5 and 8; Images of Radar SRTM; Planimetric Letters 1: 100,000 (DGS-MI 469 - Vila do Arari - AM and MI 470 - Nhamund??, 1981); and documentary surveys. The approach that served as the basis for the research was Edgar Morin's Complex Thought. From there the data were systematized, analyzed and discussed, reaching the result that the water systems, landscape modellers are altered. This concludes by confirming the Hypothesis. "What anthropic actions are generating change in the physiognomy of the landscape of the Guajuma APA in the time space 1980 to the decade of 2010. O estudo realizado objetivou inventariar o uso e ocupa????o da terra dos sistemas h??dricos de terra firme, nos delimites da ??rea de Prote????o Ambiental GUAJUMA, tomando como escala espa??o-temporal da fisionomia da paisagem atual, da d??cada de 1980 (Parque Estadual) at?? a de 2010. A ??rea de estudo (APA GUAJUMA, munic??pio de Nhamund?? - Amazonas) abrange as seguintes coordenadas geogr??ficas: Norte - 2?? 5'21.61"S- 56??51'30.86"W; Sul - 2??18'17.48"S - 56??49'20.07"W; Leste - 2??10'20.68"S- 56??46'49.60"W; Oeste - 2??12'26.02"S- 57?? 3'33.07"W. A Metodologia teve por base o Estudo de Caso, cujas principais t??cnicas est??o: as de coletas de dados no local da pesquisa ??? Observa????o Direta, Protocolo de Inventariamento Geogr??fico; Sistema de Informa????o Geogr??fica ??? ambiente computadorizado constitu??do pelos seguintes: ArcGis 10.1; Projeto TerraClass (INPE/EMBRAPA-2004-2014); LANDSAT TM 5 e 8; Imagens de Radar SRTM; Cartas Planim??tricas 1:100.000 (DGS-MI 469 ??? Vila do Arari - AM e MI 470 ??? Nhamund??, 1981); e os levantamentos documentais. O m??todo de abordagem que serviu para fundamentar a pesquisa foi o Pensamento Complexo de Edgar Morin. A partir dele os dados foram, sistematizados, analisados e discutidos, chegando ao resultado, que os sistemas h??dricos, modeladores da paisagem est??o alterados. Com isso conclui-se confirmando a Hip??tese de que a????es antr??picas est??o gerando altera????o na fisionomia da paisagem da APA Guajuma no tempo espa??o d??cada 1980 ?? d??cada de 2010???.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects approximately 3 % of the world population. HCV targets hepatic tissue, and most infected patients develop a chronic infection. Currently, studies have demonstrated an association between HCV-RNA replication and miR-122, the most abundant microRNA in the liver. Our aim was to evaluate liver and serum expression of miR-122 in patients infected with HCV genotypes 1 and 3, and to identify possible associations between miR-122 expression and lipid profiles, HCV viral load, apolipoproteins and liver enzymes. MicroRNAs were isolated from blood and liver tissue, and miR-122 expression was quantified by real-time PCR. HCV viral load was quantified by real-time PCR and HCV genotype, and serum biomarkers were obtained from medical report. The levels of miR-122 were higher in liver than those in blood from individuals infected with HCV genotypes 1 and 3 (p

Large artery atherosclerotic stroke (LAS) shows substantial heritability not explained by previous genome-wide association studies. Here, we explore the role of coding variation in LAS by analyzing variants on the HumanExome BeadChip in a total of 3,127 cases and 9,778 controls from Europe, Australia, and South Asia. We report on a nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variant in serpin family A member 1 (SERPINA1) encoding alpha-1 antitrypsin [AAT; p.V213A; P = 5.99E-9, odds ratio (OR) = 1.22] and confirm histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) as a major risk gene for LAS with an association in the 3?-UTR (rs2023938; P = 7.76E-7, OR = 1.28). Using quantitative microscale thermophoresis, we show that M1 (A213) exhibits an almost twofold lower dissociation constant with its primary target human neutrophil elastase (NE) in lipoprotein-containing plasma, but not in lipid-free plasma. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange combined with mass spectrometry further revealed a significant difference in the global flexibility of the two variants. The observed stronger interaction with lipoproteins in plasma and reduced global flexibility of the Val-213 variant most likely improve its local availability and reduce the extent of proteolytic inactivation by other proteases in atherosclerotic plaques. Our results indicate that the interplay between AAT, NE, and lipoprotein particles is modulated by the gate region around position 213 in AAT, far away from the unaltered reactive center loop (357-360). Collectively, our findings point to a functionally relevant balance between lipoproteins, proteases, and AAT in atherosclerosis.

BackgroundNucleoside/nucleotide analogue (NA) treatment causes selection pressure for HBV strains carrying mutations conferring NA resistance. Drug-resistance mutations occur in the reverse transcriptase (RT) region of the HBV polymerase gene and spontaneously arise during viral replication. These mutations can also alter the hepatitis B surface (HBs) protein and in some cases reduce binding to HBs antibodies. The spread of NA-resistant HBV may impact the efficacy of antiviral treatment and hepatitis B immunization programmes. In this study, we used direct sequencing to assess the occurrence of HBV carrying known mutations that confer NA resistance in the largest cohort of treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) to date.MethodsHBV DNA samples isolated from 702 patients were sequenced and the RT region subjected to mutational analysis.ResultsThere was high genetic variability among the HBV samples analysed: A1 (63.7%), D3 (14.5%), A2 (3.3%), A3 (0.1%), B1 (0.1%), B2 (0.1%), C2 (0.9%), D1 (0.9%), D2 (4.6%), D4 (5.1%), D unclassified sub-genotype (0.7%), E (0.6%), F2a (4.6%), F4 (0.4%) and G (0.4%). HBV strains harbouring mutations conferring NA resistance alone or combined with compensatory mutations were identified in 1.6% (11/702) of the patients.ConclusionsHBV strains harbouring resistance mutations can comprise the major population of HBV quasispecies in treatment-naive patients. In Brazil, there is a very low frequency of untreated patients who are infected with these strains. These findings suggest that the spread and natural selection of drug-resistant HBV is an uncommon event and/or most of these strains remain unstable in the absence of NA selective pressure.

No contexto das mudanças ambientais globais, eventos extremos como enchentes e escorregamentos tornaram-se preocupantes para o setor da saúde pública, tanto pelos riscos envolvidos como pelo potencial do aumento de sua frequência em escala global. Este trabalho se utilizou de técnicas geoespaciais para analisar a distribuição das diarreias agudas em Caraguatatuba (litoral norte de São Paulo) em áreas de inundação, observando fatores ligados ao saneamento e à densidade demográfica. Ao longo do período analisado (2005-2010) houve incremento nas notificações de diarreias, observado predominante nas áreas consideradas de média/alta susceptibilidade à inundação. Ao mesmo tempo, as áreas de inundação coincidem com os setores mais populosos e que agregam mais moradores atendidos pelo esgotamento sanitário do tipo fossa séptica. Este estudo ilustra a vulnerabilidade dos moradores situados nas regiões susceptíveis a inundação, que devem ser consideradas prioritárias para o desenvolvimento de projetos de infraestrutura sanitária no local.

Over the past two decades, cephalopod molluscs have attracted increased attention from marine biologists and fishery scientists. Several species are important for European fisheries, as targets of small‐scale coastal fisheries and/or as bycatch in multispecies fisheries for demersal fish. The present report draws on a series of reviews prepared in 2005 for the CEPHSTOCK project (see Section 1). The taxonomy of the main resource species is reviewed (Section 2), and brief descriptions of each species are provided, along with information from studies of population genetics, habitat requirements of paralarvae and adults, and health and ecotoxicology (Section 3). The main fisheries are described, including illustration of gears used in specialized small‐scale fisheries and a discussion of the socio-economic importance of the fisheries. The current status of cephalopod aquaculture is reviewed, highlighting notable advances in commercial culture of octopus and cuttlefish (Section 4). Current fishery data collection and fishery management are described, noting that there is no setting of landings quotas and no routine assessment of stock status. Optns for stock assessment are discussed, drawing on one off assessments made during specific projects and current practice elsewhere in the world. The “live fast, die yong” lifehistory strategies of cephalopods present particular challenges, buparallels can be drawn with shortlived fish (Section 5). Finally, the report looks to the future, reviewing possible effects of climate change on cephalopods. It discusses the future development of aquaculture and fisheries for cephalopods, including prospects for fishery forecasting and fishery management - especially in relation to the small-scale directed fisheries. Various knowledge gaps are identified, and ideas for research to fill these gaps are presented, Sí

The levels of vanadium, rubidium and potassium were determined in Octopus vulgaris caught during commercial fishing activities at three locations (Cascais, Santa Luzia and Viana do Castelo) in Portugal in autumn and spring. We determined the concentration of these elements in digestive gland, branchial heart, gills, mantle and arms in males and females. At least five males and five females were assessed for each season/location combination. Elemental concentrations were determined by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). Vanadium was detectable only in digestive gland and branchial heart samples. Its concentration was not correlated with total weight, total length or mantle length. There were no differences in concentrations of V, Rb and K between sexes. There were significant differences in vanadium concentrations in branchial hearts in autumn between samples from Viana do Castelo and those from the other two sites. We found a significant positive relationship between the concentration of vanadium and those of potassium and rubidium in branchial hearts. Branchial hearts appear to play an important role in decontamination of V. Se determinaron los niveles de vanadio, rubidio y potasio en Octopus vulgaris capturado durante las actividades pesqueras en tres localidades de Portugal (Cascais, Santa Luzia y Viana do Castelo). Las concentraciones de estos elementos se determinaron en la glándula digestiva, corazón branquial, branquias, manto y en los brazos de machos y hembras en otoño y primavera. Al menos cinco machos y cinco hembras se muestrearon para cada combinación de temporada/localidad. Las concentraciones de estos elementos fueron determinadas por el método de Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). El vanadio fue solamente detectado en glándula digestiva y en los corazones branquiales y su concentración no tuvo correlación con el peso total, longitud total o longitud del manto. No se detectaron diferencias significativas en la concentración de V, Rb y K, entre machos y hembras aunque sí en las cantidades de vanadio acumulado en la glándula digestiva en otoño y primavera en muestras de Cascais y Santa-Luzia. En el caso del V en los corazones branquiales, se encontraron diferencias significativas en el otoño entre concentraciones en muestras de Viana do Castelo y las de las otras dos localidades. Se encontró una relación significativa positiva entre la concentración de vanadio y las de potasio y rubidio en los corazones branquiales. Concentraciones de Rb y K están correlacionadas en todos los tejidos excepto los musculares. Los corazones branquiales parecen jugar un papel importante en la descontaminación del V. peerreviewed