Alexander Lobrano Simply sign up to the Fashion myFT Digest -- delivered directly to your inbox “You wear a cape to make a statement,” says Marcos Seseña the director of Capas Seseña and the fourth generation of his family to run the boutique and atelier in Madrid the company is generally considered to be the world’s most famous producer of what Seseña describes as “the most wonderfully dramatic of all garments” A collaboration with Madrid’s Galería Canalejas in the store © Seseña CBThe draw of drama likely explains Seseña’s list of customers while Ernest Hemingway and film stars Ava Gardner and Gary Cooper were also fans More recent customers include Jeremy Irons Seseña recalls that to accommodate the former First Lady’s busy schedule a selection of capes was sent over to her at the American embassy in Madrid; after selecting one The majority of customers buy the capes for their practicality and comfort. “A cape can become a blanket or a shawl,” notes Seseña bohemian or traditional depending on what else you’re wearing but the silhouette and the way they fall is always so elegant.” The styles remain very popular with the Spanish aristocracy Hillary Clinton at the atelier in the 1990s © Seseña CBInside the atelier © Seseña CBOur capes become heirlooms this one is hand-cut and sewn from a special merino wool produced in Béjar “A cape that isn’t made from this fabric is not a good cape,” Seseña says firmly More recent designs include capes in waterproof oiled cotton and versions in lighter fabrics such as linen © Seseña CBAlfonso cape, €780. BUY © Seseña CB1901 cloak, €1,100. BUY Capas Seseña director Marcos Seseña © Seseña CB and Madrid City CouncilMany customers who grew up with a parent or grandparent who wore a Seseña cape come in to buy their own style who studied business administration and screenwriting before taking over the business because they basically last forever.” If a repair is needed Seseña pieces can be brought into the shop where the in-house team of seamstresses will mend them Designs for the Galleria Canalejas collaboration © Seseña CBDirector Marcos Seseña © Seseña CBRecommended capes hold a significant place in Spanish culture They are thought to have become associated with bull-fighting during “knightly” jousting festivals common in the Middle Ages when noblemen’s capes were used to duck the charge of the bull they were one of the most commonly worn outerwear garments in Spain his great-grandmother suggested they introduce a line of capes for women “Capes have a place in the DNA of every child’s imagination Children tie towels around their necks to become superheroes because they understand the power of a cape long-lost memories often come back,” says Seseña Capas Seseña, Calle de la Cruz, Madrid; sesena.com Comments have not been enabled for this article A visit to the abandoned ‘Manhattan of La Mancha’ inspired Rosa Ribas’s Lejos (Far) the hulking Spanish city that looms over the Tagus and stands as a testament to the country’s medieval and imperial power The friends she was with then suggested they visit another more contemporary monument that had already become a symbol of another Billed as “the Manhattan of La Mancha”, the town of Seseña was meant to house 40,000 people in blocks that were to rise from the dusty plains 25 miles (40km) south of Madrid came to a standstill when the housing bubble blown by an unchecked building boom burst and was followed by the 2008 global financial crisis What Ribas saw in Seseña knocked her sideways you’d see the blocks where people were living and then all the skeletons of buildings in different stages of completion,” she said they told the workers not to come back the following day the Spanish author watched as a handful of lights came on in one block View image in fullscreenThe project in Seseña came to a standstill when the housing bubble burst and was followed by the 2008 global financial crisis Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images“I thought to myself ‘Is that all the people that are living here?’ There were about three people and all around them were these dark Can you imagine what life must be like there Almost two decades on, the novel – called Lejos in Spanish – is being published in English under the title Far satirical and very Spanish love story with echoes of Claudia Piñeiro and JG Ballard a half-built housing estate becomes a microcosm of Spanish society during la crisis a place where the people who bought into the bubble are forced to look on helplessly as their aspirational dreams are curdled by a new economic reality “The people in this society are living in a fantasy that they can’t get out of,” says Ribas “They’re stuck there; stuck in the fantasy of a better life which was the fantasy that the whole country was caught up in It was this delirium of a nice house and a little swimming pool and a golf course – all in this country where there’s no water.” the miniature society begins to fracture and the well-off residents turn on the squatters who have started living in their crumbling utopia an unlikely affair begins between a man on the run and a lonely woman who finds nightly solace in “Campari and little pills” View image in fullscreenRosa Ribas: ‘I get the impression that we’ve learned very little because we’re seeing another construction spike right now.’ Photograph: Klaus ReichenbergerRibas who is best known for her noir and detective novels also drops in a murder and a realistic parody of the jealousy snobbery and rivalry that can occasionally beset Spanish residents’ associations is how societies seek to maintain their cohesion by uniting against an “other” Ribas’s characters believe everything on their little patch would be fine if it was not for the poor people who creep into the development “It’s a metaphor for the country; for this need to always create a community that’s against other people,” says the writer “That can be nationalism; it can be against immigrants There is also an all-pervading feeling of suffocation and claustrophobia despite the vast landscape that surrounds the development As the unnamed female protagonist notes: “Whoever decided that blue was a cold colour had never seen it burn in the summer sky did not know what it was to swelter in perennial blue “there are still moments of hope and friendship and love” Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment who retains an outsider’s eye for her homeland after spending 30 years in Germany feels little wisdom has been gleaned from what she calls “a collective time of absolute blindness” who killed themselves hours before they were due to be evicted from their flat in Barcelona “I get the impression that we’ve learned very little because we’re seeing another construction spike right now,” she says “When you’re out and about you see all these billboards for new developments – but they’re all luxury flats There’s no accessible housing for normal people It’s another bubble that’s all about maximum profit.” The trip she and her friends made back in 2008 could easily be made today “Travel around the country and you’ll see all these dead architectural ruins that are still there but they’ve started building like maniacs again,” says Ribas “There are all these huge scars but we don’t want to see them.” Far by Rosa Ribas (Foundry Editions, £12.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com is again in the British press thanks to the American tycoon View this post on Instagram More than a hundred years of Capas Seseña The store founded by the great-grandfather of the current owner simplicity on the walls and a large mirror: the recipe for success is almost never clear but the business survives almost unchanged although this in the times of Amazon almost seems a chimera Its best-selling product is the classic Spanish cape As the British newspaper highlights in its style section Firstly because of its historical heritage secondly because of its quality – few feel like this one - thirdly because of its price – between 300 € and 1000 € – and lastly because it is here that people from Federico Fellini to Hillary Clinton have come to buy coats Madrid is home to some of the bars and restaurants that are more than 100 years old These establishments have survived all historical vicissitudes and remain as relevant as ever Nathalie Seseña is one of the most beloved actresses on Spanish television Her role as Berta Escobar in La que se avecina catapulted her to fame making her an indispensable character in the Telecinco series the actress has led a discreet and reserved life carefully protecting her biggest secret: her son Seseña has managed to stay away from the media spotlight regarding her personal life Although she has occasionally spoken about her role as a mother she has done so with her characteristic sense of humor But what is behind her decision to keep him private Nathalie Seseña: Her Great Success in "La Que Se Avecina" and Her Life Away from the Spotlight | MediasetNathalie Seseña's New Life: From Nightclub Dancer to La que se avecinaBefore gaining popularity with La que se avecina Nathalie Seseña had a past little known to many touring night venues and living the most peculiar experiences She herself confessed on Ilustres ignorantes one of the most surreal experiences she had while working in a nightclub she had to work in a heavy-style environment so she thought she should blend in with the atmosphere The actress wanted to adapt to the nightlife environment although this brought her a very tense moment on stage Her television debut came in the 1990s with the series Celia although her big break came with La que se avecina in 2007 she has established herself as one of the most recognized actresses on the national scene Within La que se avecina Nathalie Seseña has brought to life Berta Escobar full of hilarious moments and extreme situations has been one of the most memorable storylines of the series Seseña has managed to win the hearts of viewers who see her as an essential pillar in the fiction although her character is known for her strong personality and sharp tongue in real life the actress is much more reserved One of the most unknown aspects of Nathalie Seseña's life is her motherhood The actress gave birth to her first child in 2013 as a result of her relationship with José María de la Peña Despite the curiosity of the public and the media Seseña has kept her son out of the public eye without sharing images or details about him all these years when journalists asked her about her experience as a mother I've had a wonderful dog and he likes animal stories.. I'm thinking of giving birth to an elephant...," she commented To this day, Nathalie Seseña remains focused on her artistic career In addition to her role in La que se avecina she has worked in various film and theater productions Her talent and charisma have made her a highly sought-after actress and although she continues to keep her private life in the background Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot Get the most important global markets news at your fingertips with a Bloomberg.com subscription. About 40km south of Madrid, just off the motorway to Toledo, its towerblocks rise from the parched, yellow plain like a futuristic vision from a wild west film. Seseña was supposed to be the Manhattan of La Mancha, with 13,000 apartments housing 40,000 people in a new suburban paradise. Today, with fewer than half the apartments built, several blocks lying empty and foundations for others abruptly abandoned, it’s a scar on the Castilian landscape – and Spain’s most striking testament to its housing market crash. A herd of goats scurries across the dusty road leading to the 5,100-unit complex – construction on promised infrastructure, including a slip-road from the motorway, has long been abandoned – in a reminder that this was until recently a small country town with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. Controversial billionaire developer Francisco Hernando – nicknamed El Pocero, or Mr Drains, because he used to clean sewers – named the residential complex in the new satellite town after himself, in gold lettering at the entrance. The media have got it all wrong, says Antonio Lopez (40), a father of two young children who moved to Seseña four years ago. A computer engineer, he worked for IBM in Madrid until last year, when he said “goodbye to all that” and set up a convenience grocery store on the ground floor of one of the apartment buildings. “They say it is a ghost town, but here people are living inside the complex. They have swimming pools, basketball courts, everything they need – it’s not like in Madrid where you have to go out into the street to live. Here, we live at home.” Last Saturday afternoon, however, with only a handful of people walking through the vast conurbation, with most ground-floor units bricked over instead of their intended use as shops, and with no sign of any restaurants or cafes, it was difficult to accept his argument. The shutters remained tightly closed on even those buildings with a supposed 70 per cent occupancy rate. Both kinds of residents – those who bought early and those who snapped up a bargain – appear keen to put an optimistic face on things despite the lack of services and infrastructure. AdvantagesResidents say there are many advantages to living here: spacious, high-spec apartments; lots of light and streets wider than in Madrid; peace and quiet; and proximity to the capital. “Our apartment is terrific,” enthuses Lydia Carrasco (39), a mother of two and one of a few people shopping at the handful of Saturday market stalls on the edge of the complex. “We live in the Banco de Santander building, and we’re delighted with it,” she says, sheltering under an awning from the dead heat of the afternoon. “The materials used are of the highest quality, and we got it for much less than half price. And the bank gave us 100 per cent financing. There was a queue all through the night to get the apartments. We were very lucky,” says Carrasco, who works for the rail network. Newspapers at the time headlined with stories on how, for €65,000 for a two-bedroom apartment measuring 94sq m, the bank was “giving away” homes because the materials alone cost €60,000. Carrasco concedes that services could be better, but is optimistic that one day things will improve. “This is an emerging area. We do need better transport – there’s a bus, but it doesn’t come all that often – and it would be good to have restaurants and shops. But we’re just a short drive from the old town of Seseña, and you have everything there.” Sergio Martín, a father of three young girls, says there are now 700 children attending the on-site primary school. “It’s ideal – it’s very close, and there are now lots of children here in the community,” he says. The mayor who took over at Seseña in 2006, after the project had been voted through, accused Hernando of corrupting councillors – allegations Hernando denied – but no criminal charges were laid. Today, as an early autumn breeze kicks up dust around the 26 apartment blocks, there is no indication that building at Seseña will resume, or that El Pocero will be back. It is a stark vestige of a building binge that Spain, like Ireland, is coming to bitterly regret. Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC These disturbing photos may make you want to trade in your car for a pair of good walking shoes On a scrubby hillside outside of Madrid in central Spain A closer look reveals millions of discarded tires — and an environmental nightmare waiting to happen (MORE: Drastic Drop in California Pollution) more than 75,000 tons of car tires have piled up in a landfill in Seseña a sparsely populated suburb 20 miles south of Madrid The tires were originally supposed to be recycled but started to pile up when the company operating the site according to Spanish-language news site El Pais the mountain of rubber spans a whopping 25 acres "Tires were being brought here but no tires were leaving so a dump developed,” Seseña mayor Carlos Velazquez told Phys.org but Disfilt SA fled after the owner was sentenced to prison and the company was slapped with steep fines for environmental crimes the arduous task of recycling the tires has been left to the local government It doesn’t help that Seseña itself is somewhat of a controversy: Sprawling developments built during Spain’s housing boom never drew many buyers leaving the city looking more like a ghost town And the tire dump is a huge environmental hazard that could further deter future growth residents live in constant fear that the heap of rubber might catch on fire "A fire would be very difficult to put out because tire combustion is very slow," Vicente Garcia de Paredes an activist with the environmental group Ecologists in Action the smoke would be so toxic that the 11,000 homes in El Quiñón de Seseña would have to be evacuated." discarded tires leach oil and chemicals into groundwater and the stagnant water they collect becomes a breeding grounds for pests The town now has a three-year plan to grind down and truck out the tires to recycling plants The Seseña tires will likely find a second life as building materials: the floor mats rubberized asphalt and rubber bumpers that surface roads Seseña has an unwanted neighbor that could keep the town from ever reaching its intended potential The countryside is totally spoiled by this black mark," Garcia de Paredes told Phys.org Drivers on the highway to Andalucia will have this view stuck in their minds." We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview A closer look reveals millions of discarded tires \u2014 and an environmental nightmare waiting to happen (MORE:\u00A0Drastic Drop in California Pollution) more than 75,000 tons of car tires have piled up in a landfill in\u00A0Sese\u00F1a the mountain of rubber spans a whopping 25 acres.\u00A0\\\"Tires were being brought here but no tires were leaving so a dump developed,\u201D Sese\u00F1a\u00A0mayor Carlos Velazquez told Phys.org but Disfilt SA\u00A0fled after the owner was sentenced to prison and the company was slapped with steep fines for environmental crimes It doesn\u2019t help that\u00A0Sese\u00F1a\u00A0itself is somewhat of a controversy: Sprawling developments built during Spain\u2019s housing boom never drew many buyers residents\u00A0live in constant fear that the heap of rubber might catch on fire \\\"A fire would be very difficult to put out because tire combustion is very slow,\\\"\u00A0Vicente Garcia de\u00A0Paredes the smoke would be so toxic that the 11,000 homes in El Qui\u00F1\u00F3n de Sese\u00F1a would have to be evacuated.\\\" The Sese\u00F1a tires will likely find a second life as building materials: the floor mats Sese\u00F1a has an unwanted neighbor that could keep the town from ever reaching its intended potential.\u00A0\\\"The visual impact is dreadful The countryside is totally spoiled by this black mark,\\\" Garcia de Paredes told Phys.org Drivers on the highway to Andalucia will have this view stuck in their minds.\\\" The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply. Sesena, Spain -- This fire has been years in the making. It was only logical -- five million tires illegally dumped to form a giant, 15-meter-high mountain in the open air, a stone’s throw from a residential area. Add to that political infighting that has blocked resolving the problem for years, and you understand how tempting it becomes for someone to settle the whole affair by simply lighting a match…. Fire is my thing. For 14 years now, from April to October I have covered forest fires across Spain. I have passed both theoretical and practical training to accompany firefighters into the heart of the infernos, where no other journalist can go. But this fire was different. I also happen to be a specialist in environmental issues, so I know the Sesena tire dump quite well. Even before the fire, it was an ecological disaster that environmental activists have denounced for years. On the morning of the fire, a colleague and I entered the dump through the front entrance. By chance, the firefighters happened to be taking a break when we arrived, so nobody tried to stop us. I stayed for quite some time, shooting the mountains of tires and the column of black smoke in apocalypse-type lighting. The main problem at Sesena was the smoke. In any fire, it’s never the flames that are the most dangerous, but the smoke -- the hot air that burns the lungs and can very quickly kill you. Smoke from a forest fire is toxic enough, but smoke from a tire fire is much worse. It’s full of toxic particles that spread through the air and is really, really bad. If a gust of wind comes along and blows the smoke all around you, you’re a goner. So we didn’t stay inside the dump for too long. At a certain moment, I notice an airplane circling above us on what appeared to be a reconnaissance flight. Thanks to my forest fire fighting experience, I could guess where it would aim, so I had just enough time to run to the top of a nearby hill and to shoot the plane on its second flyover, just as it dumped thousands of liters of water on the burning tires, right before my lens. On that day, the sun was shining brightly, so it illuminated the firefighting helicopters hovering in the sky, in front of the thick black curtain of smoke, so the photos had lots of contrast and ended up being spectacular. The fire was still burning days later. Tire fires are among the longest to put out. It can take weeks to put one out, little by little, with water and sand. At the time of this writing, the fire has destroyed a bit more than two thirds of the dump. Although we still don’t know for sure the cause, for many there is little doubt as to how the blaze started. The Sesena dump has been at the heart of an interminable political debate and had been denounced by both local residents and the European Commission. Sooner or later, these millions of tires would have had to be removed, which would have cost quite a bit of money. This fire may be an ecological disaster, but it certainly saved a lot of people a lot of money… Volume 8 - 2014 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2014.00090 This article is part of the Research TopicCellular and molecular mechanisms of sensory transduction in the inner earView all 7 articles Opioid receptors are expressed in the vestibular endorgans (afferent neurons and hair cells) and are activated by the efferent system which modulates the discharge of action potentials in vestibular afferent neurons (VANs) VANs mainly express the μ opioid-receptor but the function of this receptors activation and the cellular mechanisms by which they exert their actions in these neurons are poorly studied To determine the actions of μ opioid receptor (MOR) and cell signaling mechanisms in VANs we made perforated patch-clamp recordings of VANs that were obtained from postnatal days 7 to 10 (P7–10) rats and then maintained in primary culture Gly5-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) inhibited the total voltage-gated outward current; this effect was prevented by the perfusion of a Ca2+-free extracellular solution We then studied the voltage-gated calcium current (Ica) and found that DAMGO Met-enkephalin or endomorphin-1 inhibited the ICa in a dose-response fashion The effects of DAMGO were prevented by the MOR antagonist (CTAP) or by pertussis toxin (PTX) The use of specific calcium channel blockers showed that MOR activation inhibited T- The use of various enzyme activators and inhibitors and of cAMP analogs allowed us to demonstrate that the MOR acts through a cAMP dependent signaling mechanism MOR activation increased the duration and decreased the amplitude of the action potentials and modulated the discharge produced by current injection Pre-incubation with PTX occluded MOR activation effect We conclude that MOR activation inhibits the T- L- and N-type ICa through activation of a Gαi/o protein that involves a decrease in AC-cAMP-PKA activity The modulation of ICa may have an impact on the synaptic integration The aim of this work was to determine the opioid receptor function the cell signaling mechanisms of MOR modulation and the type of ICa modulated by MOR in the vestibular primary afferent neurons Animal care and procedures were in accordance with the APS's Guiding Principles in the Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research and Training and the “Reglamento de la Ley General de Salud en Materia de Investigación para la Salud of the Secretaría de Salud de México.” All efforts were made to minimize animal suffering and to reduce the number of animals used as outlined in the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” issued by the National Academy of Sciences Animals were supplied by the “Claude Bernard” animal house of the Autonomous University of Puebla we used 1.25 mg/ml trypsin and 1.25 mg/ml collagenase type IA dissolved in L-15 medium A fire-polished Pasteur pipette was used to homogenize the tissue; the homogenate was then centrifuged at 2500 × g for 5 min and the procedure was repeated two additional times The isolated ganglia neurons were plated on cover slides pretreated with 100 μg/mL poly-D-lysine (Sigma–Aldrich with 2 mL of modified L-15 medium (supplemented with 10% FBS The cells were maintained in a 95% air 5% CO2 atmosphere in a humidified incubator at 37°C for 18–24 h until the electrophysiological record To study whether the responses observed in P7–10 day old rats were also present in older rats an experimental series was also performed in P28–30 day old rats we used an extracellular solution with the following composition (in mM): 130 TEA-Cl 10 HEPES and 10 glucose; the pH was adjusted to 7.4 with HCl The pipette solution had (in mM): 130 CsCl 15 HEPES and 0.134 CaCl2; the pH was adjusted to 7.2 with CsOH For the current clamp experiments and for the recording of the voltage-gated total current we used a normal extracellular solution with the following composition (in mM): 140 sodium isothianate 10 HEPES and 10 glucose; the pH was adjusted to 7.4 with NaOH The pipette was filled with the following solution (in mM): 125 potassium gluconate and 10 HEPES; the pH was adjusted to 7.2 with KOH The osmolarity of the solutions was ~300 mOsm In the intracellular solutions Amphotericin B (300 μM) or nystatin (260 μM) both from Sigma-Aldrich USA) were dissolved in 2 mM DMSO before the recordings and added to the pipette solutions freshly Solutions were protected from light to prevent ionophore degradation With this procedure time to reach an input resistance ≅ 20 MΩ was about 25 min after establishing the gigaseal The drug application was made by using a gravity-driven flow system (flow rate of approximately 0.5 mL/s) consisting of three square perfusion tubes coupled to a step motor and an electronically controlled valve system (SF-77B; Warner Instruments The drugs used were the MOR agonists [D-Ala2 The NPC15437 was acquired from Research Biochemical International (Natick the okadaic acid from Alomone Labs (Jerusalem and the remaining drugs were from Sigma-Aldrich Co the hydro soluble drugs were diluted in deionized water and the non-hydro soluble drugs were diluted in DMSO (0.2% DMSO final concentration) The ω-ctx-GVIA solution also contained 0.1 mg/ml cytochrome C (Sigma) to saturate unspecific binding sites Membrane ionic currents and cell-voltage responses were studied using the perforated-patch voltage-clamp and current-clamp technique Experiments were performed at room temperature (23–25°C) Ionic currents were recorded using an Axopatch 200 B amplifier (Molecular Devices Command-pulse generation and data sampling were controlled by the pClamp-10 software (Molecular Devices) using a 16-bit data acquisition system Digidata 1440 A (Molecular Devices) Data were sampled at 20 kHz; the low-pass filter was set at 10 KHz to evaluate the passive properties and at 2 KHz for the current recordings The passive properties of the cells (membrane capacitance Cm access resistance Ra and time constant τ) were measured on-line with the pClamp program with a pulse to 5 mV from a holding of −70 mV The series resistance was electronically compensated to 80% The recording electrodes were made from borosilicate-glass capillaries 1.2 mm (TW 120 USA) with resistances between 1.5 and 3 MΩ once filled with pipette solution The recording chamber was continuously perfused with the corresponding extracellular solution we used a protocol of voltage pulses that ranged from −100 to 50 mV with 200 ms durations and steps of 10 mV and 5 s inter sweeps; the holding voltage (VH) was −100 mV or −40 mV (to elicit the LVA + HVA or the HVA currents) as indicated in each experimental series To determine the LVA and HVA current in the same sweep we used a VH of −80 mV followed by a pulse to −50 mV of 100 ms and then a pulse to −10 mV with a duration of 100 ms To evaluate the voltage-dependent modulation of the ICa by opioid peptides we used a protocol that started from a VH = −80 mV and gave two depolarizing pulses (P1 and P2 40 ms) separated by a depolarizing pulse to 80 mV during 40 ms; in consequence if an interaction between the Gβγ complex and calcium channels is present the current caused by P2 should be bigger than that caused by P1 The time between P1 and P2 was 70 or 1065 ms to discard the possibility of an inactivation accumulation of the Ca2+ channels to study the action potential (AP) waveform cells were stimulated with a current pulse injection of 300 pA with a duration of 3 ms followed by 10 ms of zero current and a hyperpolarizing pulse of 200 pA with a duration of 500 ms (to produce a rebound potential) To evaluate the repetitive AP discharge of the afferent neurons a pulse of 400 pA and 500 ms in duration was used Cells were also subjected to sinusoidal stimulation (5 Hz and amplitude from 0.2 to 1 nA); the stimulus amplitude was adjusted in order for the neurons to have an unsaturated response (1 to 1 phase looking between the stimulus and AP discharge were considered as saturating) a stimulus amplitude in which cells discharge in some stimulus cycles and not in other cycles (ideally 50%) was chosen This allows the cell to increase or decrease its AP discharge when experimentally manipulated (i.e. Recordings were analyzed off-line using Clampfit 10.2 (Molecular Devices) and Sigma Plot 8.0 (Systat Software the current amplitude was measured at the peak current in each voltage and the voltage error produced by uncompensated series resistance was corrected (Rca was 11 ± 1 mΩ) instead a linear fit to the current at voltages between −100 to −70 mV was subtracted from the IV relationship The junction potential calculated using the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation was 4.3 mV and was compensated The current data are presented as the current density (pA/pF) The conductance (g) was obtained in two ways: (i) it was calculated from the equation g = IP / (Vr − Ve) and Ve: equilibrium voltage (obtained from experimental measurements) (ii) it was directly measured from tail currents elicited with a protocol that provided a voltage pulse from −100 to 50 mV (40 ms duration Δ inter-steps of 10 mV and time inter- sweeps 10 s) from a VH= −80 mV; the tails were normalized with the tail value at 30 mV The conductance data were fitted with a simple Boltzmann equation of the form f(x) = [(A1−A2)/(1 + exp (V − V1/2 /S))] + A2 V1/2: voltage at which 50% of the current is activated and V: test voltage the data between −100 and −40 mV were fitted; for the HVA conductance the values between −100 and 40 mV were fitted omitting the values from −70 to −40 mV dVm/dt) and measurements made from these diagrams The parameters measured included: the Vm (membrane voltage at zero current injection) the threshold (value at which dVm/dt changes suddenly) the maximum repolarization rate (MRR) and the post-hyperpolarization amplitude (PHP) we counted the APs produced by the depolarizing current injection In experiments in which drugs were applied a single drug concentration was tested for each cell to assure independency of the data sampling a paired Student's t-test was used in cases in which the dependent variable was measured before and after treatment In the cases in which more than one treatment was used a One-Way ANOVA with a Tukey post-hoc test was used The significance level was established as α = 0.05 Data were considered significantly different at P = 0.05 The results are shown as the means ± s.e.m This initial approach indicated that the calcium-dependent potassium current (IK,Ca) amplitude decreased as a consequence of the inhibition of the ICa we decided to study the modulation of the voltage-gate calcium current by MOR activation The MOR activation inhibits an outward current in whole cell current recording (A) Traces of whole cell total current showing inward and outward currents under control conditions and after 1 μM DAMGO perfusion the fast inward current (mainly attributable to Na+) did not change but the outward current (attributable to K+) decreased significantly Inset shows the fast inward current in a time expanded scale (B) The current-voltage relationship for the outward current showed a significant effect of DAMGO which decreased the maximum current 32% at 20 mV (C) Concentration response relationship for the DAMGO inhibitory effect on the outward current was fitted with a Hill equation with a CI50 = 600 nM and Hille coefficient of 1.2 (D) Voltage clamp recordings of whole cell current under control condition (black trace) The perfusion with a Ca2+ free extracellular solution significantly decreased the outward current (gray trace) and the effect of 1 μM DAMGO was completely occluded by perfusion with a Ca2+ free solution (blue trace) (E) Time course of outward current amplitude in control but completely occluded the action of 1 μM DAMGO indicating that DAMGO effect is specifically mediated by opioid receptor activation *Indicates a significant difference P < 0.05 Since using a VH of −100 mV the LVA current is already activated at −50 mV (−44 mV with Rs and liquid junction potential correction) and at this voltage the HVA current is not yet active this was the voltage selected for measurements of the LVA current The HVA current activated at −40 mV had a peak amplitude at −10 mV and partially inactivated (19 ± 3% of the peak value with a τ of 659 ± 110 ms HVA and LVA calcium currents in vestibular afferent neurons (A) Representative traces of the ICa produced by voltages between −50 mV and 30 mV with a VH = −100 mV in neurons with HVA current and in those with both HVA and LVA currents The neurons with both HVA and LVA ICa (68%) are distributed across the range of Cm from 9 to 62 pF with a mean of 32 ± 1 pF The neurons with the HVA ICa are distributed across the range of Cm from 10 to 32 pF with a mean of 20 ± 1 pF Continuous lines were fit with a normal function with R2 > 0.95 (C) I-V relationship of the LVA ICa (obtained by subtracting the peak current with VH= −40 mV from that obtained with a VH = −100 mV) and HVA ICa (measured in cells that expressed the HVA but not the LVA) Because the LVA current is clearly visible at −50 mV with a VH = −100 mV and at this voltage the HVA current is not yet activated this was the voltage selected to study the LVA current (D) Recording of the LVA and HVA components using a double pulse voltage clamp protocol under control conditions and after the use of 100 μM Ni2+ The use of Ni2+ completely block the LVA component without significantly modifying the HVA The effects of MOR activation on the ICa were evaluated using the agonists DAMGO, Met-enkephalin and endomorphin-1. In P7–10 rats, DAMGO was used in concentrations ranging from 100 pM to 10 μM. DAMGO produced a dose-dependent inhibition of the ICa with an IC50 of 33 ± 5 nM and with a Hill coefficient of 1.1 (n = 35; Figures 3A,B) The maximum inhibition was attained with 1 μM DAMGO that inhibited 58 ± 7% of the current at −47 mV (LVA) and 35 ± 4% at −14 mV (HVA P = 0.01); these results indicate that MOR activation inhibits both the LVA and HVA Ca2+ current components the concentration of 1 μM was selected for further testing MOR activation MOR activation mediates inhibition of the ICa (A) Dose-response curve for DAMGO inhibition of the peak ICa (n = 35) (B) The control I-V relationship for the ICa (VH = −100 mV) showed a complex form with a hump at −50 mV corresponding to the LVA currentand a peak at approximately −10 mV corresponding to the HVA plus LVA current The perfusion of 1 μM DAMGO inhibited both components of the ICa (C) The use of 1 μM DAMGO did not significantly modify the parameters of the Boltzmann fit (V1/2 and S) to the conductance of the LVA or HVA components (D) Bar graph showing the inhibitory action of 1 μM DAMGO 1 μM Met-enkephalin and 1 μM endomorphin-1 on the HVA (measured at the peak of the I-V relationship) and the LVA (measured at −50 mV) components (Statistical significance *P < 0.05 Conductance curves showed that DAMGO inhibition of the ICa did not significantly modify the half activation voltage or the slope of the LVA or HVA current components (LVA: V1/2 = −55 ± 8 mV, S = 7 ± 1 vs. V1/2 = −54 ± 1 mV, S = 7 ± 1. HVA: V1/2 = −30 ± 3 mV, S = 9 ± 1 vs. V1/2 = −30 ± 3 mV, S = 11 ± 1; Figure 3C) The actions of 1 μM Met-enkephalin and 1 μM endomorphin-1 were also evaluated. Met-enkephalin inhibited the HVA ICa in 15 ± 6% (n = 5, P = 0.04) and endomorphin-1 inhibited the ICa in 23 ± 8% (n = 5, P = 0.05; Figure 3D). In the LVA, Met-enkephalin inhibited the ICa in 34 ± 10% (n = 5, P = 0.07) and endomorphin-1 inhibited the ICa in 38 ± 8% (n = 5, P = 0.04; Figure 3D) To determine whether the modulation of the ICa by MOR is preserved in older ages, an experimental series using P28–30 rats was performed (this was the only experimental series in which P28–30 rats were used). The perfusion of 1 μM DAMGO in P28–30 rats inhibited the HVA ICa 28 ± 7% (n = 9, P = 0.03) and the LVA ICa 36 ± 9% (n = 6, P = 0.02, Figure 3D) The inhibition produced by DAMGO at both ages (P7–10 vs P28–30) was not significantly different for the HVA current (P = 0.30) but was significantly lower for the LVA in P28–30 rats (P = 0.04); these findings suggest that the LVA current decreased with age or that the LVA current uncouples from the second messenger system in older ages; changes in the MOR expression or sensitivity should in principle be reflected in both the LVA or the HVA current components Because the ICa density did not change between the P7–10 and the P28–30 (12 ± 2 pA/pF and 11 ± 1 pA/pF) groups these results showed that the inhibitory effects of MOR in the calcium current persisted with age although with small but significant variation in relation to the LVA current Calcium current modulation by MOR activation (A) Representative traces of the ICa in neurons with (right) and without (left) LVA current Two-pulse voltage protocol (shown below) evidenced the LVA and HVA currents Use of 1 μM DAMGO inhibited both ICa components Nickel (100 μM) blocked the LVA current without affecting the HVA component (B) Time course of the HVA current in the control and after the application of 3 μM ω-ctx-GVIA followed by 10 μM nifedipine and nifedipine plus 1 μM DAMGO (n = 6; ns The application of ω-ctx-GVIA and nifedipine occluded the DAMGO effect shows traces of the ICa in the control condition and with sequential application of ω-ctx-GVIA (gray) nifedipine (light gray) and the co-application of nifedipine and DAMGO (blue) (C) Bar graph showing the various experimental conditions used to discern the subtype of Ca2+ channels coupled to MOR activation 7- DAMGO + ω-ctx-GVIA + nifedipine *P ≤ 0.05 with respect to the respective control It is worth noting that the action of ω-ctx-GVIA is not reversible; thus its actions remain during the entire experimental time course and the effects of the three drugs are added sequentially These results showed that MOR activation targets the L- and the N-type Ca2+ currents Because the blockade of the L- and N-type currents fully occluded the DAMGO effect no further selective Ca2+ antagonists (R- or P/Q-type) were tested CTAP and PTX occluded the inhibition of the ICa produced by MOR activation (A) Representative traces of the ICa under control conditions 10 μM CTAP plus 1 μM DAMGO and 1 μM DAMGO but occluded the inhibitory effect of DAMGO the dotted line corresponds to zero current (B) The perfusion of 10 μM CTAP did not modify the ICa amplitude Co-application of CTAP and 1 μM DAMGO occluded the inhibitory effect of DAMGO while the subsequent washout of CTAP allowed for DAMGO to inhibit the ICa 35 ± 8%; washout of DAMGO partially recovered the ICa (ns: P > 0.05 (C) Traces of ICa in the control and with 1 μM DAMGO in a neuron incubated for 20 h with 500 ng/ml PTX The use of DAMGO after incubation with PTX slightly increased the ICa (P = 0.015) (D) The I-V relationship (VH = −100 mV) of the ICa in neurons incubated with PTX and after 1 μM DAMGO application DAMGO had no significant effect; for voltages between −20 to 20 mV it increased the ICa (23 ± 7% at −15 mV) (*P < 0.05; ns: P > 0.05) These results showed that the Gαi/o protein is the transducer between MOR activation and LVA ICa inhibition; when the Gαi/o protein is inhibited there is evidence of the interaction between the MOR and other G proteins (see Discussion) No experiments were performed to characterize the signaling mechanism of the potentiation produced by DAMGO to further confirm whether Ca2+ channel facilitation was present in the VANs the P2/P1 ratio with- and without depolarizing prepulses were evaluated; no significant differences were found between conditions indicating that the channel facilitation was not present (data not show These results show that in the isolated VANs the voltage-dependent mechanism does not participate in the ICa inhibition by MOR The voltage-dependent signaling mechanism did not participate in the inhibition of the ICa by MOR activation (A,B) Traces of the ICa under the control condition and after 1 μM DAMGO perfusion Protocols to evaluate the voltage-dependent modulation of the ICa consisted of two depolarizing pulses (P1 and P2 to −10 mV) separated by a depolarizing pulse that acted as a P2 prepulse (to 80 mV) (B) Bar graph showing the value of the P2/P1 ratio under control and after DAMGO (C) The time between P1 and the pulse to 80 mV was 1 s to avoid inactivation accumulation The ratio P2/P1 did not change between the control and after DAMGO application independent of the time between P1 and the pulse to 80 mV (D) Bar graph showing the value of the P2/P1 ratio under control and after DAMGO To determine whether the voltage-independent signaling mechanism was involved in the ICa inhibition by MOR activation we evaluated cAMP-pathway and PKC participation We first list the results for the HVA and then for the LVA component Inhibition of the ICa by MOR activation was reverted by 8-Br-cAMP or IBMX and mimicked by H89 (A) Time course of the ICa amplitude under the control condition after 1 μM DAMGO and DAMGO plus 1 mM 8-Br-cAMP application The application of 8-Br-cAMP reverted the DAMGO inhibition 92 ± 7% (n = 7) (B) Traces of the ICa under the control condition after DAMGO and after the co-application of DAMGO and 8-Br-cAMP (C) Time course of the ICa peak amplitude under the control condition after the use of 1 μM H89 and after 1 μM H89 plus 1 μM DAMGO perfusion The H89 mimicked the inhibitory effect of DAMGO; the co-application of H89 and DAMGO did not add to its inhibitory effects (n = 9) (D) I-V relationship of calcium current showed that the phosphatase inhibition with 100 nM okadaic acid enhanced the HVA and LVA currents shifted the peak of the IV relationship to less depolarized values but was unable to occlude the inhibitory effect of 1 μM DAMGO (E) Representative traces of the LVA and HVA currents in control under perfusion with 100 nM okadaic acid and coapplication of 100 nM okadaic acid and 1 μM DAMGO The okadaic acid enhanced the ICa but was unable to occlude the DAMGO effect The line dotted line represents zero current The voltage clamp protocol is shown below the recordings (F) Bar graph summarizing the effects produced by the various drugs used to discern the pathways involved in MOR actions upon both the LVA and HVA current components (* means P < 0.05; ns means P > 0.05) These results indicate that the LVA current is inhibited by MOR activation through the cAMP dependent signaling mechanism in a similar fashion to the mechanism mediating the HVA current inhibition Taking into account the functional role of the IK,Ca (Limón et al., 2005) and the potential role of the ICa in the setting of discharge patterns of VAN the actions of MOR activation were also evaluated in current clamp conditions To study the AP morphology, afferent neurons were stimulated with a 300 pA current pulse injection of 3 ms. The perfusion of 1 μM DAMGO decreased the AP amplitude from 109 ± 6 to 95 ± 5 mV, the MDR from 150 ± 6 to 135 ± 6 mV/ms, the MRR from −46 ± 3 to −39 ± 3 mV/ms, and increased the AP duration from 4 ± 0.5 to 10 ± 4 ms (n = 11, P < 0.05 for each parameter) (Figure 8) DAMGO blocked a rebound AP discharge after a hyperpolarizing pulse (200 pA during 500 ms) When the neurons were pretreated with PTX for 20 h the perfusion of DAMGO (1 and 10 μM; n = 4 and n = 3 respectively) did not produce any significant change in the AP waveform (P > 0.05) or rebound discharge The morphology and discharge of APs are modulated by MOR activation (A) Bar graph of the AP waveform parameters in the control with 1 μM DAMGO and after drug washout (n = 11) DAMGO increased the AP duration and decreased the amplitude (B) Representative AP recordings under the control condition (C) Recordings of cell response to depolarizing square current injection (400 pA DAMGO (1 μM) decreased the discharge frequency of the cell In the neurons that presented pulse-evoked repetitive discharge, DAMGO 1 μM decreased the number of APs in 73% of the neurons (11/15; from 4.7 ± 1 APs in the control condition to 2.6 ± 1 APs after DAMGO). This effect was completely reversible after drug washout (4.6 ± 1 APs, Figure 8) (n = 11 the perfusion of DAMGO did not modify the discharge of the APs DAMGO application produced an enhancement in the AP discharge from 2 to 3 APs The after hyperpolarization following the step depolarization did not change with the 1 μM DAMGO application the control was −5.9 ± 4 mV and with DAMGO −5.7 ± 4 mV (n = 11 These results suggest that the MOR activation did not modify the SK calcium activated potassium current Current clamp response to sinusoidal stimulation and MOR activation (A) A depolarizing current pulse injection (50 pA) produced a repetitive firing of the neuron The perfusion of VAN with Ca2+ free solution significantly decreased the AP discharge the subsequent application od DAMGO did not further modified the AP discharge (B) Typical response to sinusoidal current injection (5 Hz 1 μM endomorphin-1 decreased the APs per cycle endomorphin-1 enhanced the number of APs per cycle (D) Bar graph showing the mean number of APs per stimulus cycle in the control (white bars) and after MOR agonist application for the cells in which the MOR agonists decreased (blue) and increased (red) the AP discharge Drug effect was partially reversible after washout of the drug (gray) The Cm of the neurons in which DAMGO agonists decreased the discharge was larger (33 ± 4 pF) than those in which an enhancement of activity was observed (23 ± 3 pF; P = 0.02) We found that all VANs express the HVA ICa and that 68% of the neurons also express the LVA ICa. The neurons that lacked the LVA current were significantly smaller than the neurons with both LVA and HVA currents. The percentage of neurons with LVA current is comparable (although slightly smaller) to previously reported values of 74% (Limón et al., 2005) and 81% (Desmadryl et al., 1997) may be due to the larger sample size in this study (187 neurons) and to differences in the species studied (Wistar rats P7–10 This suggests that the MOR may participate in regulating the gain of the afferent neurons contributing to maintain the strict output balance from the vestibular endorgans The IC50 of the DAMGO effect in our experiments was in the nanomolar range, which is similar to that reported in other isolated primary neurons, such as the nodose superior cervical or trigeminal ganglion neurons (Rusin and Moises, 1998; Margas et al., 2007) The DAMGO effect did not affect the voltage dependence or the activation voltage of the ICa indicating that the inhibition was due to a decrease in the channel open probability and not to a modification of channel kinetic properties The effects of MOR activation in P28–30 rats in our experiments (36%) were closer to the values reported in the mentioned systems While the Gαs may be involved in the enhancement of the HVA ICa there are no specific antagonists of this G-protein which is an unspecific G protein inhibitor implies rupturing the cell patch; this produces a condition in which the ICa has a significant rundown that very quickly reduces the experimental reliability In further examination of the signaling mechanism involved in the ICa modulation by MOR we found that the VANs Ca2+ channels were in a non-saturated level of phosphorylation susceptible to either positive or negative modulation in our experimental conditions Thus, the MOR modulatory pathway for the ICa inhibition in the VANs involved a Gαi/o coupled mechanism that, by decreasing the AC activity, led to a reduction in the cAMP levels and consequently decreased the PKA activity; these effects may ultimately diminish the calcium channel phosphorylation and the channel open probability (Figure 10) Our results also suggest that the MOR can also interact with other G proteins with no participation of the PKC as a second messenger MOR activation pathway leading to ICa inhibition in the VANs The use of PTX showed that the ICa inhibition by MOR activation is Gαi/o dependent Use of paired pulses showed that the VD signaling mechanism does not significantly participate in the ICa inhibition and okadaic acid indicate that the ICa inhibition (LVA and HVA) by MOR activation is mediated by the cAMP pathway decreased of PKA activity and decreased of PKA-dependent phosphorylation of calcium channels arrow-endings indicate activation and the line-endings indicate inhibition The names and lines in red indicate the drugs used Voltage dependent signaling mechanism; VGCC In those neurons with a higher density of IK,Ca the inhibition of the ICa led to an increase in excitability because there was a net decrease of outward current in those neurons with a low density of the IK,Ca the inhibition of the ICa predominantly produced a decrease in the inward current thus leading to a decrease in excitability we must consider that MOR and membrane ionic currents of the VAN are coupled changes in any of the currents could result in changes in the activation and eventually may also alter the dynamics of other currents complex mechanisms (formed by the neuronal network and modulator molecules) able to regulate the network gains are required The MOR may act by modulating the VAN operational range; modifying the postsynaptic signal integration excitability and action potential discharge; and the neurotransmitter release in the afferent synapse at the vestibular nucleus The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest This work was supported by a grant from Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México (CONACyT) grant 167052 to Enrique Soto The authors wish to express their gratitude to Dr Antonio Arias for his significant criticism during the course of this research project Angelica Almanza for critical reading of the manuscript Edition of the English manuscript was performed by Nature Publishing Group Language Editing Blood-Brain barrier permeability and bioavailability of highly potent and μ-selective opioid antagonist Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text Opioid peptides as possible neuromodulator in the afferent synaptic transmission in the frog semicircular canal Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text The involvement of Cav3.2/alpha1H T-type calcium channels in excitability of mouse embryonic primary vestibular neurons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Evidence for modulation of opioidergic activity in central vestibular processing: a [(18)F] diprenorphine PET study Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text Reconsidering the role of neuronal intrinsic properties and neuromodulation in vestibular homeostasis Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Determinants of the G-protein opioid modulation of neural calcium channels CrossRef Full Text Developmental changes in low and high voltage-activated calcium currents in acutely isolated mouse vestibular neurons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text μ opioid receptor modulation of calcium channel current in periaqueductal grey neurons from C57B16/J mice and mutant mice lacking MOR-1 Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Direct coupling of opioidreceptors to both stimulatory and inhibitory guanine nucleotide-binding proteins in F-11.neuroblastoma-sensory neuron hybrid cells Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text The vestibular system: multimodal integration and encoding of self-motion for motor control Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text CrossRef Full Text Multiple voltage-dependent calcium currents in acutely isolated mouse vestibular neurons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Enkephalin like immunoreactivity of olivocochlear nerve fibers in cochlea of guinea pig and cat Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text “Mu opioid receptor mediated analgesia and reward,” in The Opiate Receptors CrossRef Full Text Calcium influx in rat thalamic relay neurons through voltage-dependent calcium channels is inhibited by encephalin Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text (2011).“The efferent vestibular system,” in Auditory and Vestibular Efferents CrossRef Full Text Double-pulse calcium channel current facilitation in adult rat sympathetic neurons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text Human psychopharmacology and dose-effects of salvinorin A a kappa-opioid agonist hallucinogen present in the plant Salvia divinorum Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Binding of Gαo N-Terminus is responsible for the voltage-resistant inhibition of α1A (P/Q calcium channels) CrossRef Full Text Fos-enkephalin signaling in the rat medial vestibular nucleus facilitates vestibular compensation Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text The efficiency of vestibular organs in persons addicted to opioids barbitures and volatile organic substances examined during the period of abstinence Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text “Opioid receptor signal transduction mechanism,” in The Opiate Receptors CrossRef Full Text Modulation/physiology of calcium channel sub-types in neurosecretory terminals Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Ca+2-activated K-current density is correlated with soma size in rat vestibular-afferent neurons in culture Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Molecular microdomains in a sensory terminal Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Modulation of calcium channels by heterologously expressed wild type and mutant human μ-opioid receptor (hMORs) containing the A118G single-nucleotide polymorphism Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Postnatal expression of an apamin-sensitive k(ca) current in vestibular calyx terminals Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Distribution of met-enkephalinimmunoreactivity in the diencephalon and the brainstem of the dog Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Identification of vestibular efferent neurons in the gerbil: histochemical and retrograde labeling Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Expression and distribution of μ opioid receptors in the inner ear of the rat Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Functional selectivity at the μ-opioid receptor: implications for understanding opioid analgesia and tolerance Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text The role of the vestibular apparatus in the production of nausea and vomiting following the administration of morphine to man Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text μ-opioid and GABAB receptor modulate different types of Ca++ currents in rat nodose ganglion neurons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Enkephalin mRNA production by cochlear and vestibular efferent neurons in the gerbil brainstem Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Efferent-mediated responses in vestibular nerve afferents of the alert macaque Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Activation of μ opioid receptor inhibits transient high and low- threshold Ca2+ currents Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text G protein ßγ subunits: central mediators of G protein-coupled receptor signaling Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Características morfológicas y electrofisiológicas de las neuronas del ganglio vestibular en cultivo Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text The activation of mu opioid receptors promotes a small modulation of calcium currents in rat pallidal neurons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Opioid inhibition of rat medial vestibular nucleus neurones in vitro and its dependence on age Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Localization of enkephalinergic neurons in the central nervous system of the salmon by situ hybridization and inmunocytochemistry Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Opioid receptors mediate a postsynaptic facilitation and a presynaptic inhibition at the afferent synapse of axolotl vestibular hair cells Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Opioid μ receptor activation inhibits sodium currents in prefrontal cortical neurons via a protein Kinase A- and C- dependent mechanism Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Morphine and methadone have different effects on calcium channel currents in neuroblastoma cells Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Modulation of voltage-dependent calcium channels by G proteins Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Vega R and Soto E (2014) Activation of μ-opioid receptors inhibits calcium-currents in the vestibular afferent neurons of the rat through a cAMP dependent mechanism Received: 08 December 2013; Accepted: 11 March 2014; Published online: 27 March 2014 Copyright © 2014 Seseña, Vega and Soto. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Enrique Soto, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 sur 6301, CU, San Manuel, Puebla, Pue. CP 72570, México e-mail:ZXNvdG8yNEBnbWFpbC5jb20= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish 1936 a column of T-26 tanks went rattling down the road towards Seseña a Spanish town on the outskirts of Madrid ostensibly held by forces loyal to the Republican government backed by Moscow Leading the column was a Latvian communist named Paul Arman there were thirty Soviet military personnel and fifteen Spanish recruits manning the guns As he approached Seseña he ran into an artillery battery defending a road block Arman asked the troops in French to let him pass They tentatively asked “Italiano?” referring to troops dispatched by Mussolini to support the General Forces Arman suddenly realized the town was occupied by the Fascist side of the Spanish Civil War He quickly told his crew to open fire and beat the artillery crew on the draw The flamboyant Latvian then led his tanks into the Red Army’s first tank battle.  The war had begun earlier that summer when right-wing Nationalist generals mobilized to overthrow the Spanish Republican government Nazi Germany and Italy promptly intervened in favor of the Fascist General Franco by supplying troops air support and vital air and maritime logistics Nationalist troops were soon closing in on Madrid Stalin supported the Republicans coalition the Red Army had only begun building up a large tank fleet at the urging of the forward-thinking Marshal Mikhail Tukachevsky—and the service was eager to see just how well they would perform in battle 1936 the freighter Komsomol arrived in Cartagena carrying fifty T-26 model 1933 tanks (also dubbed the T-26B)—and fifty-one Red Army “volunteers” commanded by General Krivoshein.  was thinly armored—no more than fifteen millimeters of steel—and fairly slow with a maximum speed of nineteen miles per hour or a little over half that off road It was not expected to operate for more than a few hundred hours before breaking down.  it did have one clear strength: a 45-millimeter gun with good anti-personnel and armor-penetrating capabilities as well as a coaxial Degtyaryov turret machine-gun The T-26s were accompanied by 40 BA-3 and BA-6 heavy armored cars based on the Ford-Timkins truck chassis with the same turrets and armament as the T-26 The Soviet crew were originally intended only to train Spanish crews at a school in Archene but within weeks Madrid seemed on the verge of falling Hastily three tank units were formed and began seeing action on October 26 But Arman’s company made the biggest splash Armani’s improvised unit was intended to support an attack by two infantry brigades trying to drive Nationalists away from the southern approaches to Madrid Arman is said to joked to his Spanish compatriots “The situation is not so hopeless the Spanish Prime Minister publicly revealed the plans for the attack in a radio broadcast the evening prior When the infantry proved slow to advance that morning Things didn’t begin promisingly when three T-26s were promptly disabled by anti-tank mines on the road Other problems arose when his unit stormed Seseña The T-26’s poor vision devices forced tank commanders to “unbutton” the turret hatch and peer about to maintain any sort of situational awareness This proved a weakness when Nationalist troops threw Molotov cocktails at tanks squeezing through narrow town streets allowing burning gasoline to pour down the hatch knocking out two T-26s and injuring Arman in his Another issue was that only platoon leader T-26s (one out of every three) had a radio and even that was useless on the move and complicated by Russian/Spanish communication issues Officers were supposed to transmit instructions by waving signal flags but this concept was soon abandoned in Spain Command-and-control largely became a matter of follow-the-leader—though leading tanks were usually the first to be knocked out Arman’s company lurched onward through Seseña overran two surprised batteries of 65-millimeter infantry guns There they were charged by three Italian L3/35 tankettes from the 1st Nationalist Tank Company rounds from their twin 8-millimeter machine guns rattling ineffectually off the Republican tanks’ armor One T-26’s cannon made a deeper impression disabling one L3/35 and setting a flamethrower-armed L3 ablaze a Spanish 75-millimeter howitzer destroyed the tank with direct fire Semyon Osadchy rammed another 3.5-ton tankette These encounters are purportedly the first tank-on-tank battle fought by the Soviet Union Eventually Arman’s company looped back round and returned to friendly lines He reported killing or wounding 600 personnel including two battalions of Moroccan infantry and two squadrons of cavalry and destroying between twenty-five and thirty-eight motor vehicles Arman’s unit lost four Soviet and four Spanish crew members There was just one problem—while Arman’s company was rampaging behind Nationalist lines it wasn’t supporting the attack by the Republican Lister infantry brigade which failed to break through at Seseña.  some accounts claim that Arman’s assault caused the Nationalists to divert troops from their offensive on Madrid Similar problems would subsequently blunt the effects of Soviet tank operations in Spain—terrible coordination with the infantry and weak or non-existent air and artillery support That meant that while Soviet and Spanish tank units often gave a good accounting of themselves and clearly overmatched Nationalist tanks these local successes failed to translate into operational gains It’s usually fair to blame that problem on doctrinal failures but in the Spanish Civil War the Republicans were fighting for survival from day one by relying heavily on inexperienced new recruits It simply wasn’t possible to remove entire units from the frontline to train them properly in armor and infantry tactics Even tank crews received most of their instruction in parked vehicles prior to seeing battle Soviet/Spanish tankers were committed to numerous supporting actions around Madrid in November and December where they performed well but sustained heavy losses These were compensated by the arrival of fifty-six more T-26s in November.  They soon encountered some of the first thirty-three Panzer I tanks shipped over by Nazi Germany armed only with twin 7.92-millimeter machine guns could pierce a T-26’s armor at 100 to 150 meters range using armor-piercing bullets—but the Panzers were easily dispatched at a 1,000 meters with accurate fire from Republican tankers and twenty-eight had been knocked out by the end of November It became necessary to attach anti-tank artillery to protect Nationalist tank units.  a lack of logistical and maintenance support furthermore meant the high tempo of T-26 operations was unsustainable As Zaloga writes: “The Red Army had never conducted any prolonged tank operations away from their peacetime training bases so the combat experiences in Spain were an eye-opening introduction to the day-to-day technical realities that had plagued tankers ever since World War I… As was clear from the initial fighting and had to be carefully husbanded for only the most important missions.” One technique the Russians picked up from the Spanish was transporting their tanks as close to the frontline as possible using trains or transporter trucks sparing the break-down-prone vehicles from unnecessary wear and tear ensconced in their mountains in northern Yemen French Rafale fighter jets are in global demand This highlights an increased defense spending across Europe and the Middle East Project Azm’s lack of progress raises doubts about Pakistan’s ability to deliver indigenous fifth-generation warplanes Stay in the know with The National Interest newsletter © Copyright 2025 Center for the National Interest We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns Residents of nearby Seseña ordered to leave after blaze at vast dump south of Madrid produces toxic cloud Spanish officials have ordered the evacuation of 9,000 people living in a sprawling apartment complex close to a raging tyre dump fire in a town near Madrid The massive fire broke out before dawn at the vast tyre dump sending a spectacular billowing cloud of thick black smoke into the air that was visible for at least 20 miles (30km) The Castilla-La Mancha regional government tweeted on Friday night that about 8,000 apartment residents in the town of Seseña had already left their homes The government said ambulances were being sent to the complex to evacuate residents with health problems who could not leave on their own 10 teams of firefighters were sent to try to put out the blaze but it was still raging more than 12 hours after it started The regional government said it had activated an emergency action plan as it believed the fire might last for days View image in fullscreenBlack smoke from the vast tyre dump fire rises over a housing area in Toledo Photograph: Ismael Herrero/EPAFirefighters and helicopters were working to extinguish the blaze which produced a “toxic cloud … that could affect part of the (nearby) town of Seseña” with its 20,000 residents the regional government added in a statement The dump stretches over some 10 hectares (25 acres) straddling the Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid regions three-quarters of the site had gone up in flames the Spanish capital’s emergency services tweeted Authorities had urged residents nearby to close their doors and windows “Everything points to the fact that this disaster was deliberate,” the mayor of Seseña, Carlos Velazquez, told Spanish radio pointing out that the area had been rained on for several days which makes an accidental ignition unlikely The massive pile of tyres started to form in the 1990s when a company began using the site as a temporary depot for old tyres due to be recycled View image in fullscreenA helicopter throws water over the tyre dump fire Photograph: Sergio Perez/ReutersBut over the years these started to accumulate Environmentalists have for years warned that the dump poses a health hazard and the town of Seseña has lived in fear of the rubber heap catching fire These types of blazes are notoriously difficult to put out and have been known to go on for months and even years as tyres often continue to burn inside even if they are extinguished from the outside warned that the fire could last for several days In a video posted on Twitter by the emergency services an official at Madrid’s firefighting department who was on site said it was gradually coming under control adding that the smoke was less intense than it had been The cloud emanating from the blaze appeared to be moving south over the day sparing Madrid and its international airport a spokesman for environmental group Ecologists in Action But he criticised authorities in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha for years of inaction both regions decided to organise a call for bids to empty the dump and destroy the tyres Get the most important global markets news at your fingertips with a Bloomberg.com subscription Following our piece about Berlin’s hyper-specialist shops you told us your favourites from around the world In fact, many are wondering whether hyper-specialist shops could be a solution for high streets struggling to adapt in the age of Amazon. On Monday, Guardian Cities reported on the surprisingly large number of shops in Berlin that sell only one thing from ants (Berlin is home to the world’s first specialist ant shop) We asked you for your favourite niche shops past and present – and it seems there’s no item too commonplace to specialise in I love these places. I’ve spotted a shop in Barcelona that sells only coat hangers, central Madrid is home to Europe’s only cape shop, and I once discovered a pirate shop while wandering in a suburb of Hamburg. Alexito As I live in Germany, there’s quite a lot of choice. There’s Schaumstoff-Fischer in Munich, which sells foam, all the foam, whether for upholstery or stuffing toys or insulation, they will have it. KatInEurope In London’s Finsbury Park, there is a shop that only sells Sylvanian Families toys. It’s not even in the town centre, just in a side street. That level of specialism has always impressed me. ymtluck In Porto some years back I found a shop which specialised in string – all sorts – and they did have the flat waxed string I needed for aircraft rib stitching! Porto had lots of small specialist shops; I am delighted to find other cities have similar arrangements. Biscuit74 Not one of my personal favourites since I have no interest in what they sell, but there is an accordion shop along Lee High Road, Lewisham. Been there as long as I can remember. Their website says they’ve been for 60 or so years. snowybeach This is very much the approach in Japan. Of course there’s also the bookshop that only sells one book, which you’ve already covered, and which I love. https://t.co/ETq3GaY1oZ This pencil seller in Tehranhttps://t.co/YBt9aTq6Pyhttps://t.co/kIuTG7rq1C Borlands, on Leith Walk here in Edinburgh, is pretty specialist. But I guess the fact that it's TWO things means it doesn't qualify this time? pic.twitter.com/UbUcESyyzj The @FtnPenHospital in NYC ✒️ Print The O.C Swap Meet — a twice-monthly event held at the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa — has been canceled this Saturday as a precautionary measure during the current coronavirus surge after its owner was reportedly exposed to the virus who reprised the beloved bazaar last May after more than a yearlong closure confirmed Tuesday he’d been exposed to an infected individual and made the difficult decision to suspend operations for one day only “I felt it was better to reschedule this Saturday’s event in accordance with close exposure recommendations,” he said by email Tuesday “I [felt] was in the best interest of our vendors 8 swap meet would be moved to a future date The market usually takes place on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month News of the closure comes as the Orange County Health Care Agency on Wednesday reported 4,646 new daily infections and four more deaths About 673 individuals were being hospitalized with COVID-19 representing a 25.8% increase in the county’s three-day average For information and updates on the O.C. Swap Meet, visit facebook.com/OGOCswapmeet or @ogocswapmeet on Instagram Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Sara Cardine covers the city of Costa Mesa for the Daily Pilot. She comes from the La Cañada Valley Sun, where she spent six years as the news reporter covering La Cañada Flintridge and recently received a first-place Public Service Journalism award from the California News Publishers Assn. She’s also worked at the Pasadena Weekly, Stockton Record and Lodi-News Sentinel, which instilled in her a love for community news. (714) 966-4627 News Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map A massive fire is raging at a sprawling tyre dump in a town near Madrid sending huge plumes of thick black smoke into the air visible for at least 30 kilometres (20 miles) Ten teams of firefighters were sent to try to put out the blaze in Seseña but it was still raging more than 10 hours after it started Spain's leading El Pais newspaper reported that the dump holds 100,000 metric tons (110,230 tons) of used vehicle tyres Authorities suspect someone intentionally started the fire before dawn at the tyre dump Seseña mayor Carlos Velazquez said in an interview on Cadena Ser radio Local residents were ordered to stay indoors and shut their windows Although there are many apartment complexes in the town Seseña is Spain's most famous ghost town a symbol of the country's economic fall after the housing bubble burst in 2008 Developers began building the vast prison-like blocks in the late 1990s hoping tens of thousands of people would buy apartments on Madrid's southern fringe The massive project soon became mired in scandal it turned out the authorities had been bribed to approve the development and less than a third of these were ever occupied The massive pile of tyres started to form in the nineties when a company began using the site as a temporary dump for old tyres earmarked for recycling The dump was declared illegal in 2003 and the firm abandoned the site The regional government started processing the tyres grinding them up to use as building materials It has been estimated that it will take about four years to completely use up the mountain of tyres MADRID (AP) - Thousands in the central Spanish town of Sesena were allowed to return home Saturday as firefighters tamped down a massive tire fire that had coated the area in thick This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Print Vendors shoppers and collectors had reason to celebrate Saturday as a long-shuttered corner lot of the O.C fairgrounds in Costa Mesa transformed into a scene of thriving commerce during the debut of the “Original O.C More than 3,500 people turned out to peruse goods on display from nearly 80 area vendors some of whom have been barely subsisting during the pandemic as bans on outdoor gatherings stretched longer than a full year It was a welcome reprieve after a long drought whose family has been selling licensed sports merchandise and memorabilia at the fairgrounds since 1976 “We had a line of at least 200 people to get in when we opened up,” Garibay said of Saturday’s attendance “It was like Christmas traffic — much more successful than we thought it would be.” Visitors stroll through the O.C Swap Meet at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa on Saturday (Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer) Despite its name the event is entirely new and organized by a former employee of the O.C where vendors have peddled products since 1969 David “D.L.” Sesena started working the event as a weekend parking lot attendant in 2002 of the department and eventually became operations manager in 2008 Sesena came to feel a kinship among his co-workers vendors and the customers who came to the O.C even as the event’s popularity began to wane “I just felt an attachment to it,” Sesena recalled Tuesday ownership of the Market Place changed hands shifting in 2016 from the family-owned Tel Phil to corporate food service and hospitality business Spectra which inked an eight-year deal with the OC Fair & Event Center that would not come to fruition When the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of the O.C Sesena and nearly 100 other employees were laid off or let go Spectra claimed pandemic hardship and attempted to get out of its lease with OCFEC even as restrictions eased and allowed swap meets to return The two parties have been engaged in a legal battle over a possible breach of contract ever since Not content to sit and collect unemployment checks Sesena began looking into hosting possibly monthly events that would provide a lifeline to out-of-work vendors while giving members of an increasingly clamorous public something to do Shoppers search through T-shirts during the O.C (Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer) He talked with OCFEC Chief Executive Michele Richards and decided to organize two stand alone events one on Saturday and a second event on June 19 brother and sister-in-law helped him raise funds to lease the space and provide the equipment to make it all happen and a handful of friends and family members came out Saturday to help make sure things ran smoothly Richards said in an email Tuesday OCFEC officials are happy to welcome vendors back to the fairgrounds (Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer) “It is important to give small businesses the chance to grow and we are proud to help launch local entrepreneurs and provide the community with great shopping opportunities,” she wrote owner of Howie’s Arizona Jacks Beef Jerky since 2000 said every customer who came to his booth Saturday was thrilled to be back out at the swap meet it brings tears to my eyes that we had a good turnout,” Andersen said Tuesday “This coronavirus has bulldozed small businesses and the last year and a half has been very tough.” offered by the federal government to self-employed Americans during the pandemic and took out a small business loan to help make ends meet Seeing customers line up for the swap meet gave Andersen hope that as more events come online in the months ahead the business he’s built for the past 20 years may yet survive To help ensure the success of Sesena’s venture he’s already paid to rent a booth at the June 19 Original O.C and encourages other vendors to do the same “David has poured his heart and soul into this,” Andersen said Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha lowered the danger level Saturday and permitted residents to return with the recommendation that surgical face masks be used when outdoors. It had ordered the evacuation of 9,000 people Friday from a large apartment block complex in Sesena as plumes of acrid, thick black smoke rose from the dump containing an estimated 110,000 tons of used tires. Regional spokesman Francisco Martinez Arroyo said the fire was “totally confined” and firefighters expected to be able to extinguish it completely within three or four days. World & Nation Hollywood Inc.  My NewsSign Out Sign InCreate your free profileSections news Alerts Flames rage through the pile of tires at the dump in Sesena, near Madrid, on May 13.  Ten teams of firefighters were sent to try to put out the blaze in Sesena, but it was still raging more than 12 hours after it started. The view from the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid shows a huge smoke column caused by the tire fire.  The spectacular cloud of thick black smoke was visible for at least 20 miles.  A helicopter drops water on the tire dump.  The dump, known locally as the tire cemetery, was declared illegal in 2003 as it lacked proper permits and since then authorities have been trying to figure out what to do with it. Black clouds of smoke float in the sky near the dump. Authorities suspect someone intentionally started the fire before dawn at the tire dump, thought to be Europe's largest, Sesena Mayor Carlos Velazquez said in an interview on Cadena Ser radio. Women wear protective masks as black smoke from a huge fire billows in the background in Sesena, central Spain, on May 13. Residents in several parts of Sesena were ordered to stay indoors and shut their windows. Classes at one school were canceled and authorities urged drivers traveling nearby to keep their windows closed. Two major highways pass close to Sesena. 400 metres from a housing development south of Madrid Spanish authorities are struggling to dispose of five million tyres dumped on a site close to a housing development north of Toledo The 90,000 tonnes of tyres that have been dumped there since 2002 cover 117,000 square metres straddling the Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha regional boundaries The dump, the largest in Europe lies 400 metres from the El Quiñon housing development one of the most notorious of the housing boom Only about 1,000 of the planned 13,500 units are occupied The local authorities said this week they were putting out a tender in January to find a company with the capacity to shred the mountain of rubber which poses a serious fire and environmental risk Environmentalists say that should a fire break out it could not be extinguished with water and would have to be smothered with earth Madrid’s main airport would have to be shut down and an estimated 11,000 homes evacuated View image in fullscreenA fire at the dump couldn’t be extinguished by water and would cause Madrid’s main airport to be shut down Photograph: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/GettyThe company originally tasked with managing the recycling had only four employees and was incapable of coping with work on this scale The company was fined on various occasions for infringing environmental regulations and in 2009 the owner was jailed for three months for crimes against the environment View image in fullscreenThe tyres The company originally tasked with managing the recycling had only four employees and was incapable of coping with work on this scale Photograph: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/GettyAs the local authorities cannot agree on who should take responsibility for the work once again they are tendering for a company that can shred the rubber Shredded car tyres can be mixed with asphalt and used to pave roads Noise levels on such roads are as much as 12 decibels lower than on conventional surfaces The El Quiñon development was built without any provision for water or gas supplies Supplies have now been connected but the banks have slashed the price of a two-bedroom flat from €200,000 to €57,000 (£147,000 to £42,000) The local mayor was arrested on bribery charges relating to the project but was never tried The developer has moved its headquarters to Equatorial Guinea Social Justice/Untaxed European governments give huge tax benefits to real estate investors and owners - a policy that is common in many member states despite all political differences Investigate Europe’s team analysed the taxation and loopholes for real estate investments in several European countries This lures billions of euros to the overheated real estate market HELP US CONNECT THE DOTS ON EUROPESupport cross-border journalism But they are just the tip of the iceberg. Rafael Valderrábano, director of Basico Homes in Madrid the real problem is the large numbers of small ghost villages surrounding big cities." Source: Guardian Source: NYT Source: Ben Roberts is blighted by an enormous mountain of old tyres covering an area of more than 10 hectares (25 acres) The residents don't complain – largely because there aren't any a symbol of the country's economic fall since the housing bubble burst in 2008 The massive pile of tyres started to form in the nineties when a company began using the site as a temporary storage area for old tyres due for recycling The dump was declared illegal in 2003 and the company abandoned the site The environmental group Ecologists in Action estimates that there are 40,000 to 60,000 tonnes of tyres in the dump The regional government has now started processing the tyres It is estimated that it will take about four years to completely eradicate the mountain of tyres the artwork aims to provide awareness and to create new urban aesthetic experiences a view of the landscape created by old tires in the seseña cemetery ‘ONA’s tires were taken from the seseña tire cemetery located between toledo and madrid this sea of rubber parts is a devastating landscape with no promising destiny just the one of creating a black artificial typography taking the tires from here and making them into public art gives a new sense to these objects while revitalizing spaces new meaning has been given to these tires that now grow out of a wall the ‘ONA’ installation resembles a wave that is reminiscent of its origins the only difference is that it got out of the sea of tires and now finds itself immersed within the urban territory creating new volumes and generating new social spaces and interactions a public space got a boost with the addition of ‘ONA’ ‘ONA’ catches the attention of a boy who passed by while riding his bike from the side the installation looks like a wave of tires emerging out of the wall the new street art installation has generated new places for the community to interact around 80 tires were rescued from the cemetery rescued tires from the cemetery get cleaned and cut to fit the installation’s purpose designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here. AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style A toxic cloud has forced the evacuation of thousands of people in Spain after a massive tyre dump caught fire Local officials ordered the evacuation of the Quinon de Sesena area Many residents of Sesena have already left their homes and it is thought that just 1000 people are still there Investigators believe the fire was started deliberately in the early hours of Friday morning (local time) and 10 teams of firefighters battled the blaze all day Some schools closed for the day and there have been no reports of injuries The Castilla La Mancha government said it was unlikely wind would disperse the smoke from the millions of burning tyres A spokesperson said the decision to evacuate had been taken "to avoid risk" People will be taken to a sports centre and several schools in buses and ambulances will be made available for sick people to travel in told TV channel Antena 3 that inhaling large amounts of the smoke could cause chemical pneumonia and eye old people and those with weak respiratory systems The Madrid government said on Friday evening that the city's air quality had not registered any change from the fire in the nearby town He said: "I've been talking to the two petrol station workers who raised the alarm and they told me that the fire started on one side of the dump which makes us think it was not a chance occurrence "But for now we are not drawing any conclusions." Drivers on roads nearby have been told to keep their car windows up as the smoke may damage their health Flight departures and arrivals at Madrid airport have not been affected The sprawling dump has attracted criticism from locals and environmentalists for years The Government is asking for ideas on how to deal with millions of used car tyres that present a big ecological problem The Environment Minister is rejecting suggestions by the Labour Party that he is scuttling a new scheme to recycle old tyres and stop them going to landfill A Putaruru man has been fined $20,000 for burning tyres on his property on two separate occasions World RSS Follow RNZ News If you’re looking for a unique souvenir to take home from the Spanish capital check out this selection of the quirkiest shops the city has to offer hides a sweet secret that is definitely worth buying The convent is home to an order of cloistered nuns because they are not allowed to leave the convent make their living by baking and selling biscuits in a very unusual way Buzz on the door and walk round to a rotating round table where a disembodied voice will ask you what you want There is a list of biscuits on the wall; order the ones you’d like and the nun on the other side of the wall will spin them around to you Spin your money back around and you’ve just bought some of Madrid’s most unique biscuits Plaza del Conde de Miranda, 3 Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy https://www.instagram.com/p/BE5y6U-j0Yf/?taken-at=285453185 A great place to find an original gift or souvenir to take home from Madrid, La Intrusa showcases the work of local artists and independent designers in its two Madrid stores You’ll find handmade jewellery in a range of quirky designs Calle Corredera Alta de San Pablo, 33 Calle de León 17 http://instagram.com/p/BVFgKE5gwnR/?taken-by=la_intrusa_madrid Food & Drink The 5 Best Food Markets in Madrid See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn Guides & Tips How to Attend a Bullfight in Spain See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July Architecture Spain’s Most Impressive Bullrings See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November Guides & Tips How to Spend the Perfect 24 Hours in Santander Sports The Most Epic Hiking Trails in Spain's Sierra Nevada US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd