Effects of a single session of SMR neurofeedback training on anxiety and cortisol levels

Objectives: According to some studies, a putatively calming effect of EEG neurofeedback training could be useful as a therapeutic tool in psychiatric practice. With the aim of elucidating this possibility, we tested the efficacy of a single session of ¿sensorimotor (SMR)/¿theta neurofeedback training for mood improvement in 32 healthy men, taking into account trainability, independence and interpretability of the results. Methods: A pre-post design, with the following dependent variables, was applied: (i) psychometric measures of mood with regards to anxiety, depression, and anger (Profile of Mood State, POMS, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI); (ii) biological measures (salivary levels of cortisol); (iii) neurophysiological measures (EEG frequency band power analysis). In accordance with general recommendations for research in neurofeedback, a control group receiving sham neurofeedback was included. Results: Anxiety levels decreased after the real neurofeedback and increased after the sham neurofeedback (P < 0.01, size effect 0.9 for comparison between groups). Cortisol decreased after the experiment in both groups, though with significantly more pronounced effects in the desired direction after the real neurofeedback (P < 0.04; size effect 0.7). The group receiving real neurofeedback significantly enhanced their SMR band (P < 0.004; size effect 0.88), without changes in the theta band. The group receiving sham neurofeedback did not show any EEG changes. Conclusions: The improvement observed in anxiety was greater in the experimental group than in the sham group, confirmed by both subjective (psychometric) measures and objective (biological) measures. This was demonstrated to be associated with the real neurofeedback, though a nonspecific (placebo) effect likely also contributed

Recent Advances in the Management of Marine Protected Areas in the Philippines

This study presents recent advances in the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Philippine from the mid-1970s, when the first MPA was established, to the present. At present, there are over 1300 established and proposed MPAs in the country. More than 50% of these are less than 10ha in size. As a result, less than 2% of the country’s reef areas are under some level of protection, which is believed to be too low for protective measures to have an impact. In terms of management, only 10-15% of established MPAs are effectively managed. Several challenges are posed by these major shortcomings. Two approaches have recently been initiated to address these. The MPA Support Network (MSN) was recently established to link various efforts and initiatives in managing MPAs in the different regions of the country. There are also recent efforts of developing schemes for truly science-based establishment of MPA networks

Valuing and Managing the Philippines’ Marine Resources toward a Prosperous Ocean-Based Blue Economy

The ocean-based “blue economy” is a significant part of the Philippine economy that has largely been taken for granted despite its enormous potential. It is of critical importance to a substantial segment of our population dependent on the seas and coastal resources for their livelihood and sustenance, appreciably enlarge the country’s wealth, and significantly contribute to its gross domestic product. This paper attempts to review the major issues concerning marine ecosystems in relation to the country’s pursuit of the blue economy. It discusses the economic and social activities in relation to the seas and coastal areas, and provides updated estimates of the real value of the country’s marine ecosystems’ goods and services. Based on primary and available secondary data, the marine ecosystems (excluding the continental shelf) can contribute a conservative monetary value of US$ 966.6 billion to the economy. In light of the risks and threats to the blue economy, the paper further discusses the country’s current national initiatives and involvement in regional collaborations toward ensuring its health and sustainable development. Given the Philippines’ vast largely untapped potential, a recommendation for the creation of a Department of Marine Resources, separate from the Department of Agriculture, seems in order

Siting marine protected areas based on habitat quality and extent provides the greatest benefit to spatially structured metapopulations

Connectivity and its role in the persistence and sustainability of marine metapopulations are attracting increased attention from the scientific community and coastal resource managers. Whether protection should prioritize the connectivity structure or demographic characteristics of a given patch is still unclear. We design a three-stage population model to analyze the relative importance of sources, sinks, quality and extent of juvenile and adult habitat, and node centralities (eigenvector, degree, closeness, and betweenness) as a basis for prioritizing sites. We use a logistic-type stage-structured model to describe the local dynamics of a population with a sessile adult stage and network models to elucidate propagule-exchange dynamics. Our results show that the coupled states of habitat extent and quality, which determine population carrying capacity, are good criteria for protection strategy. Protecting sites on the basis of sources, sinks, or other centrality measures of connectivity becomes optimal only in limited situations, that is, when larval production is not dependent on the adult population. Our findings are robust to a diverse set of larval pathway structures and levels of larval retention, which indicates that the network topology may not be as important as carrying capacity in determining the fate of the metapopulation. Protecting extensive, good quality habitat can help achieve both conservation and fisheries objectives

Liver Gene Therapy: Employing Surgery and Radiology for Translational Research

Gene therapy is a therapeutic strategy that aims to employ nucleic acids as drugs for the transient or permanent treatment of inherited or acquired pathologies. Based on the type of vector employed for the gene transfer, gene therapy can be classified as viral gene therapy and nonviral gene therapy. Nonviral gene therapy is less efficient but safer than viral gene therapy. Hydrodynamic naked DNA transfer has shown great translational potential, achieving therapeutic levels of a human protein in the murine model. The translational process of the procedure has already been performed. Different radiologic and surgical approaches permitted pressurizing the liver in vivo by excluding its vascularization partially or totally. These approaches mediated a tissue rate of human alpha-1-antitrypsin protein translation (100–1000 copies per cell) close to those obtained with the mouse gold standard model in a safe mode that could be translated to human settings

Gold Nanoparticle-Assisted Virus Formation by Means of the Delivery of an Oncolytic Adenovirus Genome

Oncolytic adenoviruses are a therapeutic alternative to treat cancer based on their ability to replicate selectively in tumor cells. However, their use is limited mainly by the neutralizing antibody (Nab) immune response that prevents repeated dosing. An alternative to facilitate the DNA access to the tumor even in the presence of anti-viral Nabs could be gold nanoparticles able to transfer DNA molecules. However, the ability of these nanoparticles to carry large DNA molecules, such as an oncolytic adenovirus genome, has not been studied. In this work, gold nanoparticles were functionalized with different amounts of polyethylenimine to transfer in a safe and efficient manner a large oncolytic virus genome. Their transfer efficacy and final effect of the oncolytic virus in cancer cells are studied. For each synthesized nanoparticle, (a) DNA loading capacity, (b) complex size, (c) DNA protection ability, (d) transfection efficacy and (e) cytotoxic effect were studied. We observed that small gold nanoparticles (70-80 nm in diameter) protected DNA against nucleases and were able to transfect the ICOVIR-15 oncolytic virus genome encoded in pLR1 plasmid. In the present work, efficient transgene RNA expression, luciferase activity and viral cytopathic effect on cancer cells are reported. These results suggest gold nanoparticles to be an efficient and safe vector for oncolytic adenovirus genome transfer

Gold Nanoparticle-Assisted Virus Formation by Means of the Delivery of an Oncolytic Adenovirus Genome

[EN] Oncolytic adenoviruses are a therapeutic alternative to treat cancer based on their ability to replicate selectively in tumor cells. However, their use is limited mainly by the neutralizing antibody (Nab) immune response that prevents repeated dosing. An alternative to facilitate the DNA access to the tumor even in the presence of anti-viral Nabs could be gold nanoparticles able to transfer DNA molecules. However, the ability of these nanoparticles to carry large DNA molecules, such as an oncolytic adenovirus genome, has not been studied. In this work, gold nanoparticles were functionalized with different amounts of polyethylenimine to transfer in a safe and efficient manner a large oncolytic virus genome. Their transfer efficacy and final effect of the oncolytic virus in cancer cells are studied. For each synthesized nanoparticle, (a) DNA loading capacity, (b) complex size, (c) DNA protection ability, (d) transfection efficacy and (e) cytotoxic effect were studied. We observed that small gold nanoparticles (70-80 nm in diameter) protected DNA against nucleases and were able to transfect the ICOVIR-15 oncolytic virus genome encoded in pLR1 plasmid. In the present work, efficient transgene RNA expression, luciferase activity and viral cytopathic effect on cancer cells are reported. These results suggest gold nanoparticles to be an efficient and safe vector for oncolytic adenovirus genome transfer.This research was supported by University of Valencia 'Ayuda a la Investigacion', Asociacion Pablo Ugarte and European Regional Development Fund (VLC-CAMPUS).Sendra, L.; Miguel, A.; Navarro-Plaza, MC.; Herrero, MJ.; De La Higuera, J.; Cháfer-Pericás, C.; Aznar, E.... (2020). Gold Nanoparticle-Assisted Virus Formation by Means of the Delivery of an Oncolytic Adenovirus Genome. Nanomaterials. 10(6):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061183S116106Cebrián, V., Martín-Saavedra, F., Yagüe, C., Arruebo, M., Santamaría, J., & Vilaboa, N. (2011). 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Bioconjugate Chemistry, 13(1), 3-6. doi:10.1021/bc015545cThomas, M., & Klibanov, A. M. (2003). Conjugation to gold nanoparticles enhances polyethylenimine’s transfer of plasmid DNA into mammalian cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(16), 9138-9143. doi:10.1073/pnas.1233634100Noh, S. M., Kim, W.-K., Kim, S. J., Kim, J. M., Baek, K.-H., & Oh, Y.-K. (2007). Enhanced cellular delivery and transfection efficiency of plasmid DNA using positively charged biocompatible colloidal gold nanoparticles. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, 1770(5), 747-752. doi:10.1016/j.bbagen.2007.01.012Chan, T. G., Morse, S. V., Copping, M. J., Choi, J. J., & Vilar, R. (2018). Targeted Delivery of DNA-Au Nanoparticles across the Blood-Brain Barrier Using Focused Ultrasound. ChemMedChem, 13(13), 1311-1314. doi:10.1002/cmdc.201800262Mbatha, L. S., & Singh, M. (2019). Starburst Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer Grafted Gold Nanoparticles as a Scaffold for Folic Acid-Targeted Plasmid DNA Delivery In Vitro. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 19(4), 1959-1970. doi:10.1166/jnn.2019.15798Cobley, C. M., Chen, J., Cho, E. C., Wang, L. V., & Xia, Y. (2011). Gold nanostructures: a class of multifunctional materials for biomedical applications. Chem. Soc. Rev., 40(1), 44-56. doi:10.1039/b821763gCho, E. C., Au, L., Zhang, Q., & Xia, Y. (2010). The Effects of Size, Shape, and Surface Functional Group of Gold Nanostructures on Their Adsorption and Internalization by Cells. Small, 6(4), 517-522. doi:10.1002/smll.200901622Pissuwan, D., Niidome, T., & Cortie, M. B. (2011). The forthcoming applications of gold nanoparticles in drug and gene delivery systems. Journal of Controlled Release, 149(1), 65-71. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2009.12.006Rosi, N. L., Giljohann, D. A., Thaxton, C. S., Lytton-Jean, A. K. R., Han, M. S., & Mirkin, C. A. (2006). Oligonucleotide-Modified Gold Nanoparticles for Intracellular Gene Regulation. Science, 312(5776), 1027-1030. doi:10.1126/science.1125559Ghosh, P. S., Kim, C.-K., Han, G., Forbes, N. S., & Rotello, V. M. (2008). Efficient Gene Delivery Vectors by Tuning the Surface Charge Density of Amino Acid-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles. ACS Nano, 2(11), 2213-2218. doi:10.1021/nn800507tMassich, M. D., Giljohann, D. A., Seferos, D. S., Ludlow, L. E., Horvath, C. M., & Mirkin, C. A. (2009). Regulating Immune Response Using Polyvalent Nucleic Acid−Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 6(6), 1934-1940. doi:10.1021/mp900172mRyou, S.-M., Kim, S., Jang, H. H., Kim, J.-H., Yeom, J.-H., Eom, M. S., … Lee, K. (2010). Delivery of shRNA using gold nanoparticle–DNA oligonucleotide conjugates as a universal carrier. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 398(3), 542-546. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.06.115Stobiecka, M., & Hepel, M. (2011). Double-shell gold nanoparticle-based DNA-carriers with poly-l-lysine binding surface. Biomaterials, 32(12), 3312-3321. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.12.064Sharma, A., Tandon, A., Tovey, J. C. K., Gupta, R., Robertson, J. D., Fortune, J. A., … Mohan, R. R. (2011). Polyethylenimine-conjugated gold nanoparticles: Gene transfer potential and low toxicity in the cornea. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 7(4), 505-513. doi:10.1016/j.nano.2011.01.006Yan, X., Blacklock, J., Li, J., & Möhwald, H. (2011). One-Pot Synthesis of Polypeptide–Gold Nanoconjugates for in Vitro Gene Transfection. ACS Nano, 6(1), 111-117. doi:10.1021/nn202939sShan, Y., Luo, T., Peng, C., Sheng, R., Cao, A., Cao, X., … Shi, X. (2012). Gene delivery using dendrimer-entrapped gold nanoparticles as nonviral vectors. Biomaterials, 33(10), 3025-3035. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.12.045Trigueros, Domènech, Toulis, & Marfany. (2019). 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Molecular Therapy, 16(5), 985-994. doi:10.1038/mt.2008.32GUPTA, P., SU, Z., LEBEDEVA, I., SARKAR, D., SAUANE, M., EMDAD, L., … DENT, P. (2006). mda-7/IL-24: Multifunctional cancer-specific apoptosis-inducing cytokine. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 111(3), 596-628. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2005.11.005Abbink, P., Lemckert, A. A. C., Ewald, B. A., Lynch, D. M., Denholtz, M., Smits, S., … Barouch, D. H. (2007). Comparative Seroprevalence and Immunogenicity of Six Rare Serotype Recombinant Adenovirus Vaccine Vectors from Subgroups B and D. Journal of Virology, 81(9), 4654-4663. doi:10.1128/jvi.02696-06Mast, T. C., Kierstead, L., Gupta, S. B., Nikas, A. A., Kallas, E. G., Novitsky, V., … Shiver, J. W. (2010). International epidemiology of human pre-existing adenovirus (Ad) type-5, type-6, type-26 and type-36 neutralizing antibodies: Correlates of high Ad5 titers and implications for potential HIV vaccine trials. Vaccine, 28(4), 950-957. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.10.145Barouch, D. H., Kik, S. V., Weverling, G. J., Dilan, R., King, S. L., Maxfield, L. F., … Goudsmit, J. (2011). International seroepidemiology of adenovirus serotypes 5, 26, 35, and 48 in pediatric and adult populations. Vaccine, 29(32), 5203-5209. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.05.025Na, Y., Nam, J.-P., Hong, J., Oh, E., Shin, H. C., Kim, H. S., … Yun, C.-O. (2019). Systemic administration of human mesenchymal stromal cells infected with polymer-coated oncolytic adenovirus induces efficient pancreatic tumor homing and infiltration. Journal of Controlled Release, 305, 75-88. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.04.040Kasala, D., Yoon, A.-R., Hong, J., Kim, S. W., & Yun, C.-O. (2016). Evolving lessons on nanomaterial-coated viral vectors for local and systemic gene therapy. Nanomedicine, 11(13), 1689-1713. doi:10.2217/nnm-2016-0060Kwon, O.-J., Kang, E., Kim, S., & Yun, C.-O. (2011). Viral genome DNA/lipoplexes elicit in situ oncolytic viral replication and potent antitumor efficacy via systemic delivery. 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Assessment, Management and Future Directions for Coastal Fisheries in Asian Countries

Abstract The biomass of 40 ecological groups, the diet composition of prey and predators, production/biomass (P/B) and consumption/biomass (Q/B) ratios, and catches were used as basic input to parameterize an Ecopath model of the Gulf of Thailand. Following construction of a mass-balance ecosystem model, a time-dynamic simulation model (Ecosim) was used to simulate the impact of change in fishing effort. This was done using time series data to validate the historic fisheries development in the Gulf of Thailand prior to using the model for forward-looking simulations. The time series data used in the analyses were catch and effort data from research vessel trawl surveys and landings data for six groups of fishing gear operating in the Gulf during the period 1973 to 1993. The fish market price and fixed and variable costs of each fleet (as well as profit) were also used as input for the time-series simulations using Ecosim. The results depict changes in biomass and trophic interactions in time (Ecosim) and space (Ecospace). The model was also used to investigate management options or measures for the fisheries of the Gulf of Thailand. Recommendations for future studies using Ecopath with Ecosim are also presented

A preliminary study: saltiness and sodium content of aqueous extracts from plants and marine animal shells

To develop a salt substitute with low sodium content, the water-soluble components of seaweed, kelp, clamshell, oyster shell, semen cassiae, cuttlefish bone, inula flower, Arabia cowry shell, and sanna leaf were extracted with water. The aqueous extracts of nine species of plants and marine animal shells were obtained after drying the plants and shells at 105 °C until achieving a constant weight. The hedonic scale test revealed that the clamshell and cuttlefish bone aqueous extracts tasted distinctly salty. The result of the degree of difference test showed that the 1 % clamshell extract solution (m/v) and 0.6 % cuttlefish bone extract solution (m/v) both had equivalent saltiness of 0.6 % NaCl (m/v). In contrast, the sodium content in the cuttlefish bone extract solution was 27 % less than that in a NaCl solution of the same degree of saltiness. Therefore, a novel salt substitute will be developed in future studies in accordance with the principles of bionics and a deep understanding of the salty taste interactions among key salty components in the cuttlefish bone extract