Vibrio elicits targeted transcriptional responses from copepod hosts

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2016. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Federation of European Microbiological Societies for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in FEMS Microbiology Ecology 92 (2016): fiw072, doi:10.1093/femsec/fiw072.Copepods are abundant crustaceans that harbor diverse bacterial communities, yet the nature of their interactions with microbiota are poorly understood . Here, we report that Vibrio elicits targeted transcriptional responses in the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis. We pre-treated E. affinis with an antibiotic-cocktail and exposed them to either a zooplankton specialist (Vibrio sp. F10 9ZB36) or a free-living species (V. ordalii 12B09) for 24 hours. We then identified via RNA-Seq a total of 78 genes that were differentially expressed following Vibrio exposure, including homologs of C-type lectins, chitin-binding proteins and saposins. The response differed between the two Vibrio treatments, with the greatest changes elicited upon inoculation with V. sp. F10. We suggest that these differentially regulated genes play important roles in cuticle integrity, the innate immune response, and general stress responses, and that their expression may enable E. affinis to recognize and regulate symbiotic vibrios. We further report that V. sp. F10 culturability is specifically altered upon colonization of E. affinis. These findings suggest that rather than acting as passive environmental vectors, copepods discriminately interact with vibrios, which may ultimately impact the abundance and activity of copepod-associated bacteria.2017-04-0

Unexpected high genetic diversity at the extreme Northern geographic limit of Taurulus bubalis (Euphrasen, 1786)

The longspined bullhead (Taurulus bubalis, Euphrasen 1786) belongs to the family Cottidae and is a rocky shore species that inhabits the intertidal zones of the Eastern Atlantic since Iceland, southward to Portugal and also the North Sea and Baltic, northward to the Gulf of Finland, with some occurrences in the northern Mediterranean coasts eastward to the Gulf of Genoa. We analysed the phylogeographic patterns of this species using mitochondrial and nuclear markers in populations throughout most of its distributional range in west Europe. We found that T. bubalis has a relatively shallow genealogy with some differentiation between Atlantic and North Sea. Genetic diversity was homogeneous across all populations studied. The possibility of a glacial refugium near the North Sea is discussed. In many, but not all, marine temperate organisms, patterns of diversity are similar across the species range. If this phenomenon proves to be most common in cold adapted species, it may reflect the availability of glacial refugia not far from their present-day northern limits

Normal forms approach to diffusion near hyperbolic equilibria

We consider the exit problem for small white noise perturbation of a smooth dynamical system on the plane in the neighborhood of a hyperbolic critical point. We show that if the distribution of the initial condition has a scaling limit then the exit distribution and exit time also have a joint scaling limit as the noise intensity goes to zero. The limiting law is computed explicitly. The result completes the theory of noisy heteroclinic networks in two dimensions. The analysis is based on normal forms theory.Comment: 21 page

Social modulation of sex steroid concentrations in the urine of male cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus

The relationship between urinary concentrations (free + sulfates + glucuronides) of the steroids testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (11KT), 17α, 20ß-dihydroxy-4-preg- nen-3-one (17,20ß-P) and 17a,20a-dihydroxy-4-preg- nen-3-one (17,20α-P), and the social behavior of males of the cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus was inves- tigated. After 8 days of isolation none of the steroids were good predictors of social dominance developed after subsequent formation of all-male groups. One day after group formation dominance indexes were good predictors of the urine concentrations of all sex steroids. Dominance indexes and androgen concentrations mea- sured after all-male group formation were positively cor- related with territoriality, courtship rate, and nest size. Similar relationships were found for progestins with the exception that they were not correlated with courtship rate. All-male group formation was also accompanied by an increase in urinary sex steroid concentrations in fish that became territorial and a decrease in non-territorial fish with the exception of T, which increased in both groups. Addition of ovulating females caused steroid concentrations to return to levels near isolation, except for 17,20α-P in territorials, which underwent a large in- crease. Thus, social interactions may have an important modulatory effect on sex steroid concentrations in O. mossambicus

The impact of self-stigma in people with diagnosis of severe mental illness: a cross-sectional pilot study from a community psychiatry unit in Porto, Portugal

"Introduction Self-stigma refers to the process in which a person internalizes negative stereotypes, beliefs, and prejudices about their mental illness, adopting a stigmatized view of themselves. Severe mental illness is one of the most socially exclusive stigmata and is associated with poor clinical and functional outcomes and social withdrawal. Objectives In Portugal, investigation regarding self-stigma is scarce. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of self-stigma among people with diagnosis of severe mental illness (SMI). For this goal we assess the prevalence of self-stigma of psychiatric patients with diagnosis SMI; and investigate the correlates of elevated self-stigma levels. Methods Fifty-one outpatients with SMI, were recruited from a community psychiatry unit from Porto, Portugal. After informed consent, evaluations included sociodemographic data, illness characteristics, and self-reported standardized scales. Self-stigma (ISMI), self-esteem (RSES) and quality of life (WHO-QoL) were assessed. Data analyses were performed using the SPSS version 28.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). p-values<0.05 were considered significant. Results From the study sample, 66.7% were male, with mean age of 44.8±11.0 and 56.9% were single. 33.3% reported living with their parents while 31.4% were living with a partner/spouse. The majority of participants had a diagnosis of schizophrenia (60.8%). Concerning the level of education, 58.8% completed basic education, but most patients were retired due to illness (62.7%). In this study, moderate to high self-stigma levels was found in 31.4% participants. Proportion of elevated self-stigma was significantly higher in unemployed/retired patients vs. those who were active (39.0% vs. 0%; P=0.021). No significant correlations were found with age, level of education, age at diagnosis, duration of illness, and number of hospitalizations. In the correlations analysis, a negative correlation between self-stigma and self-esteem (rho=-0.745; P<0.001), as well as self-stigma and quality of life (rho=-0.585; P<0.001) was found. A positive relationship between self-esteem and quality of life (rho=0.551; P<0.001) was found. Conclusions This study investigates, for the first time, the prevalence of self-stigma among outpatients with SMI in a community psychiatric unit from Porto. Our findings suggest a high prevalence of elevated levels of self-stigma among these patients. A significant association with being unemployed/retired was also found. Our results support previous evidence that internalized stigma is strongly associated with diminished self-esteem and impaired quality of life, in particular those aspects related to physical and psychological complaints. Targeting internalized stigma and self-esteem among patient with SMI will likely improve their quality of life, besides improving their clinical and functional outcomes.

Bioactive potential and chromatographic characterization of body mucus from Portugal coastal fish halobatrachus didactylus

The body mucus in fish provides a stable physical or chemical barrier against invading pathogens. In mucus, antimicrobial peptides are secreted as a response to immune stimulation. Studies have shown antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens and low toxicity to eukaryotic cells. Previously, body mucus from five captive Halobatrachus didactylus individuals was collected. We aim to explore the mucus studying molecules with bioactive potential. Size exclusion high­performance liquid chromatography (SE­HPLC) analyses were performed on the five body mucus samples showing a similar molecular size distribution with a maximum peak of ca. 800 Da. These five mucus samples were pooled to assess the following bioactivities: antioxidant (ABTS and ORAC), antimicrobial (minimal inhibitory concentration), and cytotoxicity (Caco­2 and HaCaT human cell lines). The protein content in the mucus, determined by the bicinchoninic acid methodology, was 16836 ± 1020 µg BSA/mL. The antioxidant activity resulted in 268 ± 11 µmol TE/g mucus protein for ABTS and 306 ± 11 µmol TE/g mucus protein for ORAC. The antibacterial activity was assessed against five pathogenic bacteria: Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, within minimal inhibitory concentrations of 421 to 105 µg mucus protein/mL. Moreover, the mucus showed non­cytotoxic for Caco­2 cells in concentrations between 196 to 25 µg mucus protein/mL, while it showed cytotoxicity for HaCaT cells. In the future, liquid chromatography­tandem mass spectrometry (LC­MS/MS) analysis will be performed to determine the molecules behind these bioactivities, namely antimicrobial peptides.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cognitive deficit: another complication of diabetes mellitus?

As the population getting older, the chronic diseases will be more prevalent as diabetes mellitus (DM) and diseases characterized by cognitive deficits, as dementia. Studies have already shown an association between DM and cardiovascular risk factors associated with cognitive impairment. Besides the vascular complications of DM, studies have proposed the role of hyperglycemia and advanced glycosilation end products (AGEP) causing oxidative stress and β-amiloid protein brain deposition. Other factors have also been investigated, such as the role of insulinemia, genetic and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1). Some studies showed that good glucose control and intake of poli-unsaturated fat, Ômega-3 or anti-oxidative food can play a protector role against cognitive deficits. Improving knowledge about the association between DM and cognition and its physiopathology, can be essential for the prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment, leading to a beneficial impact on the quality of life of elderly patients with DM.Com o envelhecimento da população, as doenças crônicas serão mais prevalentes, como o diabetes melito (DM) e aquelas caracterizadas por disfunções cognitivas, como as demências. Alguns estudos mostraram associação do DM e outros fatores de risco cardiovascular associados a distúrbios cognitivos. Além das complicações vasculares, estudos sugerem ação da hiperglicemia e dos produtos avançados finais de glicação (PAFG) em estresse oxidativo e acúmulo de substância β-amilóide intracerebral. Outros fatores também vêm sendo investigados, como o papel da insulinemia, da genética e do IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1). Estudos mostraram que o bom controle glicêmico e a ingestão de dieta rica em gordura poliinsaturada, ômega-3 ou alimentos antioxidantes podem ter papel protetor contra os déficits cognitivos. Esclarecimentos sobre a associação entre DM e cognição e sua fisiopatologia podem ser essenciais para a prevenção e o tratamento de déficits cognitivos, levando a impacto positivo sobre a qualidade de vida dos pacientes idosos com DM.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) EPMUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) EPM Departamento de Medicina PreventivaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de Medicina PreventivaSciEL