LEVERAGING PLASMA-DERIVED EXOSOMES FOR BIOMARKER DISCOVERY IN SICKLE CELL DISEASE: PREPARATION FOR A LARGE PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Diverse clinical variability among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients opposes crises prediction, health monitor- ing and streamlined management. Thus, an unmet need for objective biomarkers prevails. Exosomes are extra-cellular nano-vesicles (50-150nm), enriched in bioactive lipids, proteins, mRNAs and miRNAs, released by cells. They transport molecular cargo to nearby/distant cells to affect-regulate biological processes. Recent studies by Khalyfa et al. assessed the plasma exosome content, their sources and transcriptomics signature as predictive marker in SCD children with acute chest syndrome. However, the small sample sizes (32 and 33 individuals, respectively) may not capture the clinical variability

Environment and shipping drive environmental DNA beta-diversity among commercial ports

The spread of nonindigenous species by shipping is a large and growing global problem that harms coastal ecosystems and economies and may blur coastal biogeographical patterns. This study coupled eukaryotic environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding with dissimilarity regression to test the hypothesis that ship-borne species spread homogenizes port communities. We first collected and metabarcoded water samples from ports in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. We then calculated community dissimilarities between port pairs and tested for effects of environmental dissimilarity, biogeographical region and four alternative measures of ship-borne species transport risk. We predicted that higher shipping between ports would decrease community dissimilarity, that the effect of shipping would be small compared to that of environment dissimilarity and shared biogeography, and that more complex shipping risk metrics (which account for ballast water and stepping-stone spread) would perform better. Consistent with our hypotheses, community dissimilarities increased significantly with environmental dissimilarity and, to a lesser extent, decreased with ship-borne species transport risks, particularly if the ports had similar environments and stepping-stone risks were considered. Unexpectedly, we found no clear effect of shared biogeography, and that risk metrics incorporating estimates of ballast discharge did not offer more explanatory power than simpler traffic-based risks. Overall, we found that shipping homogenizes eukaryotic communities between ports in predictable ways, which could inform improvements in invasive species policy and management. We demonstrated the usefulness of eDNA metabarcoding and dissimilarity regression for disentangling the drivers of large-scale biodiversity patterns. We conclude by outlining logistical considerations and recommendations for future studies using this approach.Fil: Andrés, Jose. Cornell University. Department Of Ecology And Evolutionary Biology;Fil: Czechowski, Paul. Cornell University. Department Of Ecology And Evolutionary Biology; . University of Otago; Nueva Zelanda. Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research; AlemaniaFil: Grey, Erin. University of Maine; Estados Unidos. Governors State University; Estados UnidosFil: Saebi, Mandana. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Andres, Kara. Cornell University. Department Of Ecology And Evolutionary Biology;Fil: Brown, Christopher. California State University Maritime Academy; Estados UnidosFil: Chawla, Nitesh. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Corbett, James J.. University of Delaware; Estados UnidosFil: Brys, Rein. Research Institute for Nature and Forest; BélgicaFil: Cassey, Phillip. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Correa, Nancy. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Instituto Universitario Naval de la Ara. Escuela de Ciencias del Mar; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval; ArgentinaFil: Deveney, Marty R.. South Australian Research And Development Institute; AustraliaFil: Egan, Scott P.. Rice University; Estados UnidosFil: Fisher, Joshua P.. United States Fish and Wildlife Service; Estados UnidosFil: vanden Hooff, Rian. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality; Estados UnidosFil: Knapp, Charles R.. Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research; Estados UnidosFil: Leong, Sandric Chee Yew. National University of Singapore; SingapurFil: Neilson, Brian J.. State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources; Estados UnidosFil: Paolucci, Esteban Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Pfrender, Michael E.. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Pochardt, Meredith R.. M. Rose Consulting; Estados UnidosFil: Prowse, Thomas A. A.. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Rumrill, Steven S.. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; Estados UnidosFil: Scianni, Chris. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto para el Estudio de la Biodiversidad de Invertebrados; Argentina. Marine Invasive Species Program; Estados UnidosFil: Sylvester, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto para el Estudio de la Biodiversidad de Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; ArgentinaFil: Tamburri, Mario N.. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Therriault, Thomas W.. Pacific Biological Station; CanadáFil: Yeo, Darren C. J.. National University of Singapore; SingapurFil: Lodge, David M.. Cornell University. Department Of Ecology And Evolutionary Biology

Muscle strengthening is not effective in children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review

Question: Do strengthening interventions increase strength without increasing spasticity and improve activity, and is there any carryover after cessation in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy? Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised trials. Participants: Children with spastic cerebral palsy between school age and 20 years. Intervention: Strengthening interventions that involved repetitive, strong, or effortful muscle contractions and progressed as ability changed, such as biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and progressive resistance exercise. Outcome measures: Strength was measured as continuous measures of maximum voluntary force or torque production. Spasticity was measured as velocity-dependent resistance to passive stretch. Activity was measured as continuous measures, eg, 10-m Walk Test, or using scales eg, the Gross Motor Function Measure. Results: Six studies were identified and five had data that could be included in a metaanalysis. Strengthening interventions had no effect on strength (SMD 0.20, 95% CI −0.17 to 0.56), no effect on walking speed (MD 0.02 m/s, 95% CI −0.13 to 0.16), and had a small statistically-significant but not clinically-worthwhile effect on Gross Motor Function Measure (MD 2%, 95% CI 0 to 4). Only one study measured spasticity but did not report the between-group analysis. Conclusion: In children and adolescents with cerebral palsy who are walking, the current evidence suggests that strengthening interventions are neither effective nor worthwhile

Comparison between parameters of muscle performance and inflammatory biomarkers of non-sarcopenic and sarcopenic elderly women

Lygia Paccini Lustosa,1 Patrícia Parreira Batista,1 Daniele Sirineu Pereira,2 Leani Souza Máximo Pereira,1 Aline Scianni,1 Giane Amorim Ribeiro-Samora1 1Physical Therapy Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 2Physical Therapy Department, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Alfenas, Brazil Background: Sarcopenia is a multifactorial geriatric syndrome with complex interrelationships. Increased plasma levels of inflammatory mediators increase the catabolic stimuli of the musculature, thereby causing a decrease in mass and muscular function. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the performance of the knee extensors test (by isokinetic dynamometer) and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble receptors of tumor necrosis factor alpha (sTNFR1) between sarcopenics and non-sarcopenics community-dwelling elderly women residents of Brazil. Material and methods: The diagnosis of sarcopenia included measurements of body composition (by densitometry with dual energy source of X-ray), handgrip strength (by Jamar® dynamometer), and the usual gait velocity according to the recommendations of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. In both sarcopenics and non-sarcopenics elderly women, we evaluated the muscle function by knee extensors test (using an isokinetic dynamometer Byodex System 4 Pro®) at angular speeds of 60°/s and 180°/s) and also we evaluated the plasma concentrations of IL-6 and sTNFR1. Comparisons of muscle performance between groups were carried out using mixed factorial ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni test; sTNFR1 and IL-6 variables were analyzed by applying Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Statistical differences were observed between groups regarding muscle power (P=0.01), total work adjusted to body weight (P=0.01) at a rate of 180°/s, and plasma levels of sTNFR1 (P=0.01). Conclusion: Sarcopenic elder women showed lower performance of the lower limbs, especially at a higher speed, predisposing these older women to greater vulnerability in functional activities that require agility and postural stability. Plasma levels of sTNFR1 were higher for non-sarcopenics elderlies. However, due to the observational nature of the study, it was impossible to infer causality among the variables surveyed. Keywords: sarcopenia, muscle performance, inflammatory mediators, agin

LEVERAGING PLASMA-DERIVED EXOSOMES FOR BIOMARKER DISCOVERY IN SICKLE CELL DISEASE: PREPARATION FOR A LARGE PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Diverse clinical variability among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients opposes crises prediction, health monitor- ing and streamlined management. Thus, an unmet need for objective biomarkers prevails. Exosomes are extra-cellular nano-vesicles (50-150nm), enriched in bioactive lipids, proteins, mRNAs and miRNAs, released by cells. They transport molecular cargo to nearby/distant cells to affect-regulate biological processes. Recent studies by Khalyfa et al. assessed the plasma exosome content, their sources and transcriptomics signature as predictive marker in SCD children with acute chest syndrome. However, the small sample sizes (32 and 33 individuals, respectively) may not capture the clinical variability