Reprinted Article “Factors Associated with Early Failure of Arteriovenous Fistulae for Haemodialysis Access”

AbstractThe radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula remains the method of choice for haemodialysis access. In order to assess their suitability for fistula formation, the radial arteries and cephalic veins were examined preoperatively by ultrasound colour flow scanner in conjunction with a pulse-generated run-off system. Intraoperative blood flow was measured after construction of the fistulae. Post-operative follow-up was performed at various intervals to monitor the development of the fistulae. Radial artery and cephalic vein diameter less than 1.6 mm was associated with early fistula failure. The intraoperative fistula blood flow did not correlate with the outcome of the operation probably due to vessel spasm from manipulation. However, blood flow velocities measured non-invasively 1 day after the operation were significantly lower in fistulae that failed early compared with those that were adequate for haemodialysis. Most of the increase in fistula diameter and blood flow occur within the first 2 weeks of surgery

Mitochondrial function and oxygen supply in normal and in chronically ischemic muscle: A combined 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy and near infrared spectroscopy study in vivo

AbstractPurpose: We used 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a means of quantifying abnormalities in calf muscle oxygenation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) turnover in peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Methods: Eleven male patients with PVD (mean age, 65 years; range, 55-76 years) and nine male control subjects of similar age were observed in a case-control study in vascular outpatients. Inclusion criteria were more than 6 months' calf claudication (median, 1.5 years; range, 0.6-18 years); proven femoropopliteal or iliofemoral occlusive or stenotic disease; maximum treadmill walking distance (2 km/h, 10° gradient) of 50 to 230 m (mean, 112 m); ankle-brachial pressure index of 0.8 or less during exercise (mean, 0.47; range, 0.29-0.60). Exclusion criteria included diabetes mellitus, anemia, and magnet contraindications. Simultaneous 31P MRS and NIRS of lateral gastrocnemius was conducted during 2 to 4 minutes of voluntary 0.5 Hz isometric plantarflexion at 50% and 75% maximum voluntary contraction force (MVC), followed by 5 minutes recovery. Each subject was studied three times, and the results were combined. Results: Compared with control subjects, patients with PVD showed (1) normal muscle cross-sectional area, MVC, ATP turnover, and contractile efficiency (ATP turnover per force/area); (2) larger phosphocreatine (PCr) changes during exercise (ie, increased shortfall of oxidative ATP synthesis) and slower PCr recovery (47% ± 7% [mean ± SEM] decrease in functional capacity for oxidative ATP synthesis, P =.001); (3) faster deoxygenation during exercise and slower postexercise reoxygenation (59% ± 7% decrease in rate constant, P =.0009), despite reduced oxidative ATP synthesis; (4) correlation between PCr and NIRS recovery rate constants (P <.02); and (5) correlations between smaller walking distance, slower PCr recovery, and reduced MVC (P <.001). The precision of the key measurements (rate constants and contractile efficiency) was 12% to 18% interstudy and 30% to 40% intersubject. Conclusion: The primary lesion in oxygen supply dominates muscle metabolism. Reduced force-generation in patients who are affected more may protect muscle from metabolic stress. (J Vasc Surg 2001;34:1103-10.

New deep-water cnidarian sites in the southern Adriatic Sea

Recent ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) exploration and bottom sampling in the southern Adriatic Sea (Apulian and Montenegrin margins) resulted in the discovery of cnidarian-rich deep-sea habitats in the depth range of ca. 400-700 m. In particular, ROV inspection of Montenegrin canyons reveals the existence of megabenthic communities dominated by a variety of cnidarians, including scleractinians (Madrepora oculata, Lophelia pertusa, Dendrophyllia cornigera),antipatharians (Leiopathes glaberrima) and gorgonians (Callogorgia verticillata) as major habitat forming taxa, often in association with sponges and, subordinately, serpulids. All such cnidarians are new records for the south-eastern side of the Adriatic Sea. Our investigation indicates that an almost continuous belt of patchy cold water coral sites occurs along the entire south-western margin (Apulian),basically connecting the Adriatic populations with those inhabiting the Ionian margin (Santa Maria di Leuca coral province)

Bentos sjevernog dijela Velebitskog kanala (Jadransko more, Hrvatska)

Infralittoral and circalittoral hard bottom communities in the northern part of the Velebit Channel were investigated. The benthos was collected along six transects: three on Prvić Island (Šilo, Samonjin and Stražica) and three facing them along the Velebit mountain coast (Grmac, Žrnovnica and Kola). Three benthic biocoenoses were noted: the biocoenosis of photophilic algae, precoralligenous facies and a climax of coralligenous biocoenosis, and the biocoenosis of semi-dark caves. A total of 431 taxa were recorded: 60 taxa of algae and 371 taxa of fauna. Along the three coastal transects under Mt Velebit numerous submarine freshwater springs (vruljas) are present. The results were compared using two statistical methods: the application of the Sørensen index of similarity and cluster analysis. The most topographically and geomorphologically similar transects were Šilo and Samonjin, while StraŽica and Žrnovnica were the most distant.Istraživane su bentoske zajednice čvrstog dna u infralitoralu i cirkalitoralu u području sjevernog dijela Velebitskog kanala. Obrađeno je šest profila od čega tri na otoku Prviću (Šilo, Samonjin i Stražica), a tri nasuprot, na kopnu (Grmac, Žrnovnica i Kola). Utvrđene su tri biocenoze: biocenoza fotofilnih alga, pretkoraligenski aspekt i klimaks stadij koraligenske biocenoze te biocenoza polutamnih špilja. Na svih šest istraživanih profila ukupno je utvrđeno 60 biljnih i 371 životinjska svojta. Duž profila podno Velebita nalaze se brojne vrulje. Sørensenovom metodom i klaster-analizom obrađ|eni su rezultati istraživanja. Najveća sličnost u sastavu flore i faune obrađenih biocenoza utvrđena je među profilima Šilo i Samonjin, a najmanja među profilima Stražica i Žrnovnica

Exploring the response of a key Mediterranean gorgonian to heat stress across biological and spatial scales

Understanding the factors and processes that shape intra-specific sensitivity to heat stress is fundamental to better predicting the vulnerability of benthic species to climate change. Here, we investigate the response of a habitat-forming Mediterranean octocoral, the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) to thermal stress at multiple biological and geographical scales. Samples from eleven P. clavata populations inhabiting four localities separated by hundreds to more than 1500 km of coast and with contrasting thermal histories were exposed to a critical temperature threshold (25 degrees C) in a common garden experiment in aquaria. Ten of the 11 populations lacked thermotolerance to the experimental conditions provided (25 days at 25 degrees C), with 100% or almost 100% colony mortality by the end of the experiment. Furthermore, we found no significant association between local average thermal regimes nor recent thermal history (i.e., local water temperatures in the 3 months prior to the experiment) and population thermotolerance. Overall, our results suggest that local adaptation and/or acclimation to warmer conditions have a limited role in the response of P. clavata to thermal stress. The study also confirms the sensitivity of this species to warm temperatures across its distributional range and questions its adaptive capacity under ocean warming conditions. However, important inter-individual variation in thermotolerance was found within populations, particularly those exposed to the most severe prior marine heatwaves. These observations suggest that P. clavata could harbor adaptive potential to future warming acting on standing genetic variation (i.e., divergent selection) and/or environmentally-induced phenotypic variation (i.e., intra- and/or intergenerational plasticity).European Commission SEP-210597628- FutureMARES, MCIU/AEI/FEDER RTI2018-095346-BI00, Spanish government through the `Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence' accreditation CEX2019-000928-S , Interreg Med Programme 5216|5MED18_3.2_M23_007, 1MED15_3.2_M2_ 337, Spanish Government FPU15/05457, Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) LA/P/0101/2020 , DivRestore/0013/2020, Marine Conservation research group 2017 SGR 1521, postdoctoral fellowship of project HABMAR - European Maritime and Fisheries Fund of the Operational Program MAR 2020 for Portugal MAR-01.04.02-FEAMP-0018info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dirofilaria spp. And angiostrongylus vasorum: Current risk of spreading in central and northern europe

In the past few decades, the relevance of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens, causing cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis in dogs and cats, and of Angiostrongylus vasorum, causing canine angiostrongylosis, has steadily increased in Central and Northern Europe. In this review, a summary of published articles and additional reports dealing with imported or autoch-thonous cases of these parasites is provided for Central (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Lux-emburg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland) and Northern (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) Europe. Research efforts focusing on Dirofilaria spp. and A. vasorum have varied by country, and cross-border studies are few. The housing conditions of dogs, pet move-ments, the spread of competent vectors, and climate change are important factors in the spread of these nematodes. Dogs kept outside overnight are a major factor for the establishment of Dirofilaria spp. However, the establishment of invasive, diurnal, synanthropic, competent mosquito vectors such as Aedes albopictus may also influence the establishment of Dirofilaria spp. The drivers of the spread of A. vasorum remain not fully understood, but it seems to be influenced by habitats shared with wild canids, dog relocation, and possibly climatic changes; its pattern of spreading appears to be similar in different countries. Both Dirofilaria spp. and A. vasorum merit further monitoring and research focus in Europe

Detection of crenosoma spp., angiostrongylus vasorum and aelurostrongylus abstrusus in gastropods in Eastern Austria

Canine and feline cardiorespiratory parasites are of utmost relevance in veterinary medicine. Key epizootiological information on major pet metastrongyloids, i.e., Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis infecting dogs, and Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior infecting cats, is missing from Austria. This study investigated their occurrence in 1320 gastropods collected in the Austrian provinces of Styria, Burgenland, Lower Austria, and in metropolitan Vienna. Metastrongyloid larvae were microscopically detected in 25 samples, and sequence analysis confirmed the presence of metastrongyloids in nine samples, i.e., A. vasorum in one slug (Arion vulgaris) (0.07%), C. vulpis in five slugs (one Limax maximus and four A. vulgaris) (0.4%), A. abstrusus in two A. vulgaris (0.17%), and the hedgehog lungworm Crenosoma striatum was detected in one A. vulgaris. The present study confirms the enzooticity of major cardiorespiratory nematodes in Austria and that canine and feline populations are at risk of infection

Recruitment Disruption and the Role of Unaffected Populations for Potential Recovery After the Pinna nobilis Mass Mortality Event

A devastating mass mortality event (MME) very likely caused by the protozoan Haplosporidium pinnae first detected in 2016 in the Western Mediterranean Sea, is pushing the endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis to near extinction. Populations recovery, if possible, will rely on larval dispersal from unaffected sites and potential recolonization through recruitment of resistant juveniles. To assess the impact of the MME on the species’ larval recruitment, an unprecedented network of larval collector stations was implemented over several thousands of kilometers along the Western Mediterranean coasts during the 3 years after the onset of the MME. The findings of this network showed a generalized disruption in recruitment with dramatic consequences for the recovery of the species. However, there were exceptions to this pattern and recruits were recorded in a few sites where the resident population had been decimated. This hints to the importance of unaffected populations as larval exporting sources and the role of oceanographic currents in larval transport in the area, representing a beacon of hope in the current extremely worrying scenario for this emblematic species.En prens

Arsenic concentrations in seagrass around the Mediterranean coast and seasonal variations

Arsenic’s occurrence in the environment could be due to human activities as well as to natural sources. In this study, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa are collected in 84 sites around the Mediterranean basin. In addition, both seagrass are collected monthly, in two sites (Calvi in Corsica and Salammbô in Tunisia). Arsenic concentrations in C. nodosa present seasonal variations in relation with spring phytoplankton blooms. For both species arsenic concentration is higher in the vicinity of geological sources (mining), lagoon outlets and industrial activities. Moreover, Mediterranean islands (Balearic, Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, Crete and Cyprus) and the Southern basin coastline exhibit lower concentrations in Arsenic than the rest of the Mediterranean basin. The wide spread distribution of these two species would encourage their use in a global monitoring network devoted to Arsenic contamination.peer-reviewe

Dominance of variant A in Human Herpesvirus 6 viraemia after renal transplantation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), mostly variant B reactivation in renal transplant patients has been published by other authors, but the pathogenetic role of HHV-6 variant A has not been clarified. Our aims were to examine the prevalence of HHV-6, to determine the variants, and to investigate the interaction between HHV-6 viraemia, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and clinical symptoms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Variant-specific HHV-6 nested PCR and quantitative real-time PCR were used to examine blood samples from renal transplant patients and healthy blood donors for the presence and load of HHV-6 DNA and to determine the variants. Active HHV-6 infection was proved by RT-PCR, and active HCMV infection was diagnosed by pp65 antigenaemia test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HHV-6 viraemia was significantly more frequent in renal transplant patients compared to healthy blood donors (9/200 vs. 0/200; p = 0.004), while prevalence of HHV-6 latency was not significantly different (13/200 vs. 19/200; p > 0.05). Dominance of variant A was revealed in viraemias (8/9), and the frequency of HHV-6A was significantly higher in active infections compared with latency in renal transplant patients (8/9 vs. 2/13; p = 0.0015). Latency was established predominantly by HHV-6B both in renal transplant patients and in healthy blood donors (11/13 and 18/19). There was no statistical significant difference in occurrence of HCMV and HHV-6 viraemia in renal transplant patients (7/200 vs. 9/200). Statistical analysis did not reveal interaction between HHV-6 viraemia and clinical symptoms in our study.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Contrary to previous publications HHV-6A viraemia was found to be predominant in renal transplant patients. Frequency of variant A was significantly higher in cases of active infection then in latency.</p