95 research outputs found
EspĂšcies invasores a la Mar Balear: impactes sobre les comunitats marines litorals
La presĂšncia dâespĂšcies invasores Ă©s un problema per la conservaciĂł dels ecosistemes tant terrestres com marins. En el cas del ecosistemes marins i en concret als ecosistemes marins de les Illes Balears han estat detectades tant espĂšcies dâalgues, com dâinvertebrats i peixos no originaris de la MediterrĂ nia. Aquestes espĂšcies no nomĂ©s es poden establir presentant poblacions permanents, sinĂł que poden entrar en competĂšncia amb les espĂšcies natives i en el cas concret de les algues, poden modificar lâhĂ bitat amb els consequÌents efectes sobre els organismes que prĂšviament trobaven en elles tant refugi com aliment. En aquest capĂtol es presenten un recull de treballs en els quals sâanalitzen els efectes de la presĂšncia dâespĂšcies invasores sobre la fauna des dâuna vessant clĂ ssica, basada en densitats i diversitat dâespĂšcies i una altra vessant mĂ©s innovadora que es basa en els canvis fisiolĂČgics associats a la presĂšncia dâaquestes espĂšcies invasores. En concret es presenten resultats de treballs sobre els efectes de les algues invasores del gĂšnere Caulerpa, C. taxifolia i C. racemosa, lâalga Lophocladia lallemandi i del cranc Percnon gibessi.VersiĂłn del edito
Reduced Antioxidant Response of the Fan Mussel Pinna nobilis Related to the Presence of Haplosporidium pinnae
The endemic fan mussel (Pinna nobilis) in the Mediterranean Sea is at high risk of
disappearance due to massive mortality events. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant
response of P. nobilis collected in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean) before and after the
mass mortality event. Individuals collected before (between 2011 and 2012) and after (between 2016
and 2017) the event were analyzed by histological, molecular, and biochemical methods to compare
pathogenic loads and biochemical responses. All the individuals collected during 2016â2017 presented
symptoms of the disease and were positive for Haplosporidium pinnae, while acid-fast bacteria or/and
Gram-negative bacteria were detected in some individuals of both sampling periods. The activities
of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase in the gills were significantly lower
in P. nobilis a ected with the parasite compared to those in the asymptomatic ones, while levels
of malondialdehyde, as an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were higher in infected individuals.
When analyzing the di erential e ects of H. pinnae and Mycobacterium sp. on P. nobilis, it was observed
that significant e ects on biomarkers were only observed in the presence of H. pinnae. Co-infection of
P. nobilis by H. pinnae with other pathogens such as Mycobacterium sp. constitutes a serious problem
due to its high mortality rate in the Balearic Island waters. This concerning situation for P. nobilis is
favored by a reduction in antioxidant defenses related to H. pinnae infection that induces oxidative
stress and cell damage.En prens
Managing marine data: Atlas of marine biodiversity in the Balearic Sea, Western Mediterranean
Non-invasive measurements of the dynamic changes in the ciliary muscle, crystalline lens morphology, and anterior chamber during accommodation with a high-resolution OCT
Understanding non-compliance to colorectal cancer screening: a case control study, nested in a randomised trial [ISRCTN83029072]
BACKGROUND: The major limit to colorectal cancer screening effectiveness is often low compliance. We studied the reasons for non compliance and determinants of compliance to faecal occult blood tests in Lazio, Italy. METHODS: This is a case-control study nested within a trial that tested the effect of type of test and provider on colorectal cancer screening compliance. Non compliant trial subjects were classified as cases, and compliant subjects were classified as controls. We sampled 600 cases and 600 controls matched by their general practitioner, half were invited for screening at the hospital, and the other half directly at their general practitioner's office. Cases and controls answered questions on: distance from test provider, logistical problems, perception of colorectal cancer risk, confidence in screening efficacy, fear of results, presence of colorectal cancer in the family, and gastrointestinal symptoms. RESULTS: About 31% of cases never received the letter offering free screening, and 17% of the sampled population had already been screened. The first reported reason for non-compliance was "lack of time" (30%); the major determinant of compliance was the distance from the test provider: odds ratio >30 minutes vs <15 minutes 0.3 (95%CI = 0.2â0.7). The odds ratio for lack of time was 0.16 (95% IC 0.1â0.26). The effect was stronger if the hospital (0.03 95%CI = 0.01â0.1) rather than the general practitioner (0.3 95%CI = 0.2â0.6) was the provider. Twenty-two percent of controls were accompanied by someone to the test. CONCLUSION: To increase compliance, screening programmes must involve test providers who are geographically close to the target population
A New Calibrated Bayesian Internal Goodness-of-Fit Method: Sampled Posterior p-Values as Simple and General p-Values That Allow Double Use of the Data
Background: Recent approaches mixing frequentist principles with Bayesian inference propose internal goodness-of-fit (GOF) p-values that might be valuable for critical analysis of Bayesian statistical models. However, GOF p-values developed to date only have known probability distributions under restrictive conditions. As a result, no known GOF p-value has a known probability distribution for any discrepancy function. Methodology/Principal Findings: We show mathematically that a new GOF p-value, called the sampled posterior p-value (SPP), asymptotically has a uniform probability distribution whatever the discrepancy function. In a moderate finite sample context, simulations also showed that the SPP appears stable to relatively uninformative misspecifications of the prior distribution. Conclusions/Significance: These reasons, together with its numerical simplicity, make the SPP a better canonical GOF p-value than existing GOF p-values
Improvement in RNA extraction from S. cerevisie by optimization in the autolysis and NH3 hydrolysis
Pollen Competition as a Reproductive Isolation Barrier Represses Transgene Flow between Compatible and Co-Flowering Citrus Genotypes
Background/Objective: Despite potential benefits granted by genetically modified (GM) fruit trees, their release and commercialization raises concerns about their potential environmental impact, and the transfer via pollen of transgenes to cross-compatible cultivars is deemed to be the greatest source for environmental exposure. Information compiled from field trials on GM trees is essential to propose measures to minimize the transgene dispersal. We have conducted a field trial of seven consecutive years to investigate the maximum frequency of pollen-mediated crop-to-crop transgene flow in a citrus orchard, and its relation to the genetic, phenological and environmental factors involved. Methodology/Principal Findings: Three different citrus genotypes carrying the uidA (GUS) tracer marker gene (pollen donors) and a non-GM self-incompatible contiguous citrus genotype (recipient) were used in conditions allowing natural entomophilous pollination to occur. The examination of 603 to 2990 seeds per year showed unexpectedly low frequencies (0.17-2.86%) of transgene flow. Paternity analyses of the progeny of subsets of recipient plants using 10 microsatellite (SSR) loci demonstrated a higher mating competence of trees from another non-GM pollen source population that greatly limited the mating chance of the contiguous cross-compatible and flowering-synchronized transgenic pollen source. This mating superiority could be explained by a much higher pollen competition capacity of the non-GM genotypes, as was confirmed through mixed-hand pollinations. Conclusions/Significance: Pollen competition strongly contributed to transgene confinement. Based on this finding, suitable isolation measures are proposed for the first time to prevent transgene outflow between contiguous plantings of citrus types that may be extendible to other entomophilous transgenic fruit tree species. (Résumé d'auteur
Appropriation of GPIb from platelet-derived extracellular vesicles supports monocyte recruitment in systemic inflammation
Interactions between platelets, leukocytes and the vessel wall provide alternative pathological routes of thrombo-inflammatory leukocyte recruitment. We found that when platelets were activated by a range of agonists in whole blood, they shed platelet-derived extracellular vesicles which rapidly and preferentially bound to blood monocytes compared to other leukocytes. Platelet-derived extracellular vesicle binding to monocytes was initiated by P-selectin-dependent adhesion and was stabilised by binding of phosphatidylserine. These interactions resulted in the progressive transfer of the platelet adhesion receptor GPIbα to monocytes. GPIbα+-monocytes tethered and rolled on immobilised von Willebrand Factor or were recruited and activated on endothelial cells treated with TGF-ÎČ1 to induce the expression of von Willebrand Factor. In both models monocyte adhesion was ablated by a function-blocking antibody against GPIbα. Monocytes could also bind platelet-derived extracellular vesicle in mouse blood in vitro and in vivo. Intratracheal instillations of diesel nanoparticles, to model chronic pulmonary inflammation, induced accumulation of GPIbα on circulating monocytes. In intravital experiments, GPIbα+-monocytes adhered to the microcirculation of the TGF-ÎČ1-stimulated cremaster muscle, while in the ApoEâ/â model of atherosclerosis, GPIbα+-monocytes adhered to the carotid arteries. In trauma patients, monocytes bore platelet markers within 1 hour of injury, the levels of which correlated with severity of trauma and resulted in monocyte clearance from the circulation. Thus, we have defined a novel thrombo-inflammatory pathway in which platelet-derived extracellular vesicles transfer a platelet adhesion receptor to monocytes, allowing their recruitment in large and small blood vessels, and which is likely to be pathogenic
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