Marine Biodiversity in the Caribbean: Regional Estimates and Distribution Patterns

This paper provides an analysis of the distribution patterns of marine biodiversity and summarizes the major activities of the Census of Marine Life program in the Caribbean region. The coastal Caribbean region is a large marine ecosystem (LME) characterized by coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses, but including other environments, such as sandy beaches and rocky shores. These tropical ecosystems incorporate a high diversity of associated flora and fauna, and the nations that border the Caribbean collectively encompass a major global marine biodiversity hot spot. We analyze the state of knowledge of marine biodiversity based on the geographic distribution of georeferenced species records and regional taxonomic lists. A total of 12,046 marine species are reported in this paper for the Caribbean region. These include representatives from 31 animal phyla, two plant phyla, one group of Chromista, and three groups of Protoctista. Sampling effort has been greatest in shallow, nearshore waters, where there is relatively good coverage of species records; offshore and deep environments have been less studied. Additionally, we found that the currently accepted classification of marine ecoregions of the Caribbean did not apply for the benthic distributions of five relatively well known taxonomic groups. Coastal species richness tends to concentrate along the Antillean arc (Cuba to the southernmost Antilles) and the northern coast of South America (Venezuela – Colombia), while no pattern can be observed in the deep sea with the available data. Several factors make it impossible to determine the extent to which these distribution patterns accurately reflect the true situation for marine biodiversity in general: (1) highly localized concentrations of collecting effort and a lack of collecting in many areas and ecosystems, (2) high variability among collecting methods, (3) limited taxonomic expertise for many groups, and (4) differing levels of activity in the study of different taxa

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Amplified visual immunosensor integrated with nanozyme for ultrasensitive detection of avian influenza virus

Nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes or nanozymes exhibit superior properties such as stability, cost effectiveness and ease of preparation in comparison to conventional enzymes. However, the lower catalytic activity of nanozymes limits their sensitivity and thereby practical applications in the bioanalytical field. To overcome this drawback, herein we propose a very simple but highly sensitive, specific and low-cost dual enhanced colorimetric immunoassay for avian influenza A (H5N1) virus. 3,3´,5,5´-Tetramethylbenzidine (TMBZ) was used as a reducing agent to produce gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with blue colored solution from a viral target-specific antibody-gold ion mixture at first step. The developed blue color from the sensing design was further amplified through catalytic activity of Au NPs in presence of TMBZ–hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution in second step. Hence, the developed dual enhanced colorimetric immunosensor enables the detection of avian influenza virus A (H5N1) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.11 pg/mL. Our results confirmed that the developed assay has superior sensitivity than the conventional ELISA method, plasmonic-based bioassay and commercial flu diagnostic kits. Proposed sensing method further showed its capability to detect viruses, avian influenza A (H4N6) and A (H9N2) virus, in blood samples with limit of detection of 0.0269 HAU and 0.0331 HAU respectively

Uso de los factores de crecimiento presentes en el plasma rico en plaquetas como un tratamiento alternativo de lesiones músculo esqueléticas en animales

A systematic review of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) use in animals was carried out by taking 105 reference articles published during the last 8 years (2012 to 2020) in Veterinary Medicine International, Scientific Reports, BMC Veterinary Research, Platelets, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy; they were validated in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciELO, Medline, Embase and Scopus. The search was limited to just journals having a high impact factor; the SCImago journal rank (SJR) indicator (i.e. a sophisticated citation analysis algorithm) was also used. Only 35 of these articles met the selection criteria: i.e. coordinating content with current needs in veterinary medicine, seeking new biotechnological approaches and promoting regenerative medicine based on reconstructing living tissue to counteract damage or replace injured organs’ function. One such tool is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with its derivative growth factors (GF): transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). PRP is currently used as a biostimulant, acting as the basis for human and veterinary medicine studies; its effectiveness regarding bone/fracture healing/regeneration in clinical patients has been observed. Scientific evidence in the pertinent medical literature regarding PRP as an alternative treatment for managing fractures and musculoskeletal injuries was collected, thereby determining the importance of standardising the PRP procedure regarding its use, preparation, storage and administration.Se realizó una revisión sistemática del uso de plasma rico en plaquetas (PRP) en animales, seleccionando 105 artículos de referencia, publicados en los últimos 8 años (2012 a 2020) de las revistas Veterinary Medicine International, Scientific Reports, BMC Veterinary Research, Platelets, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy entre otras y validadas en las siguientes bases de datos: Pubmed, Web of Science, Sciencedirect, Scielo, Medline, Embase y Scopus. Limitando solo las revistas con altos rankings ayudados con las clasificaciones de revistas por scimago journal. Solo 35 artículos cumplieron los criterios de selección; articulándolo con necesidades actuales en la medicina veterinaria, buscando una nueva biotecnología y proyectándose hacia la medicina regenerativa, basándose en reconstrucción de tejidos vivos para contrarrestar daño o remplazo de función de órganos lesionados. Una de estas herramientas es el plasma rico en plaquetas (PRP) con sus factores de crecimiento (FC) Transformante ß (TGF ß), fibroblástico básico (FGFb), derivado de plaquetas (PDGF), del endotelio vascular (VEGF), tejido conectivo (CTGF) y epidérmico (EGF). Actualmente el (PRP) es un bioestimulante tomado como base por estudios en medicina humana y medicina veterinaria, observando su efectividad en el proceso de consolidación ósea en pacientes clínicos. Se recogieron evidencias científicas presentadas en literatura médica con respecto al PRP como una alternativa de tratamiento en el manejo de fracturas y lesiones músculo esqueléticas, con ello se logra determinar la importancia de la estandarización del procedimiento (PRP) en uso, preparación, almacenamiento y administración

Use of growth factors present in platelet-rich plasma as an alternative treatment for musculoskeletal lesions in animals

Se realizó una revisión sistemática del uso de plasma rico en plaquetas (PRP) en animales, seleccionando 105 artículos de referencia, publicados en los últimos 8 años (2012 a 2020) de las revistas Veterinary Medicine International, Scientific Reports, BMC Veterinary Research, Platelets, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy entre otras y validadas en las siguientes bases de datos: Pubmed, Web of Science, Sciencedirect, Scielo, Medline, Embase y Scopus. Limitando solo las revistas con altos rankings ayudados con las clasificaciones de revistas por scimago journal. Solo 35 artículos cumplieron los criterios de selección; articulándolo con necesidades actuales en la medicina veterinaria, buscando una nueva biotecnología y proyectándose hacia la medicina regenerativa, basándose en reconstrucción de tejidos vivos para contrarrestar daño o remplazo de función de órganos lesionados. Una de estas herramientas es el plasma rico en plaquetas (PRP) con sus factores de crecimiento (FC) Transformante ß (TGF ß), fibroblástico básico (FGFb), derivado de plaquetas (PDGF), del endotelio vascular (VEGF), tejido conectivo (CTGF) y epidérmico (EGF). Actualmente el (PRP) es un bioestimulante tomado como base por estudios en medicina humana y medicina veterinaria, observando su efectividad en el proceso de consolidación ósea en pacientes clínicos. Se recogieron evidencias científicas presentadas en literatura médica con respecto al PRP como una alternativa de tratamiento en el manejo de fracturas y lesiones músculo esqueléticas, con ello se logra determinar la importancia de la estandarización del procedimiento (PRP) en uso, preparación, almacenamiento y administración. A systematic review of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) use in animals was carried out by taking 105 reference articles published during the last 8 years (2012 to 2020) in Veterinary Medicine International, Scientific Reports, BMC Veterinary Research, Platelets, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy; they were validated in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciELO, Medline, Embase and Scopus. The search was limited to just journals having a high impact factor; the SCImago journal rank (SJR) indicator (i.e. a sophisticated citation analysis algorithm) was also used. Only 35 of these articles met the selection criteria: i.e. coordinating content with current needs in veterinary medicine, seeking new biotechnological approaches and promoting regenerative medicine based on reconstructing living tissue to counteract damage or replace injured organs’ function. One such tool is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with its derivative growth factors (GF): transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelialgrowth factor (VEGF), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). PRP is currently used as a biostimulant, acting as the basis for human and veterinary medicine studies; its effectiveness regarding bone/fracture healing/regeneration in clinical patients has been observed. Scientific evidence in the pertinent medical literature regarding PRP as an alternative treatment for managing fractures and musculoskeletal injuries was collected, thereby determining the importance of standardising the PRP procedure regarding its use, preparation, storage and administration

Comprehensive review and future perspectives on the photocatalytic hydrogen production: Comprehensive review and future perspectives on the photocatalytic hydrogen production

International audienceHydrogen represents a renewable energy alternative that may positively contribute to get over the global energy crisis while at the same time reducing its environmental burden. Overcoming the challenge of reaching this potential could be helped by careful choice of hydrogen (H2) sources. Photocatalytic generation of H2, although a minor alternative, appears to be a very good option at the time that liquid wastes are being degraded; therefore, this approach has given rise to an increasing number of interesting studies. Here, we aim to provide an integrated overview of the different photocatalytic, heterogeneous, homogeneous and hybrid systems. First, we categorize the units and mechanisms that take part in the photocatalytic process, and secondly we analyze their role and draw comparative conclusions. Thus, we analyze the role of (i) the electron source to carry out proton reduction, (ii) the proton source, which can be free protons in the medium or a proton donor compound, (iii) the catalyst nature and concentration, and (iv) the photosensitizer nature and concentration. We also provide an analysis of the influence of the solvent, especially in homogenous systems as well as the influence of pH. We provide a comparison of the photocatalytic performance, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages, of different systems. Thus, this review is, on the one hand, an update on the state of the art of photocatalytic generation of H2 from a full perspective that integrates homogeneous, heterogeneous and hybrid systems, and, on the other, a source of useful information for future research

Fowl Adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4)-Based Infectious Clone for Vaccine Vector Development and Viral Gene Function Studies

Fowl adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4) is associated with economically important poultry diseases. Recent studies of fully sequenced genomes of FAdV-4 isolates suggest potential genomic regions associated with virulence and amenable for manipulation and vector development. Direct manipulation of viral genomes is cumbersome, as opposed to that of infectious clones—viral genomes cloned into plasmid or cosmid vectors. In this work, we generated an infectious clone, pFAdV-4 ON1, containing the entire viral genome of a nonpathogenic FAdV-4 (ON1 isolate). pFAdV-4 ON1 was used for targeted deletion of open reading frames (ORFs) 16 and 17 and replacement with the enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) expression cassette to generate recombinant viruses. These viruses were viable, and EGFP was expressed in infected cells. Their replication, however, was significantly reduced with respect to that of the wild-type virus. These observations suggest the potential utility of FAdV-4 as a vaccine vector and the importance of ORFs 16 and 17 for virus replication at wild-type levels. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an infectious clone based on the FAdV-4 genome, and our results demonstrate its utility for studies of virulence determinants and as a platform for either vaccine or gene delivery vectors

Variación temporal de las unidades de tipificación discreta de tripanosoma cruzi en pacientes asintomáticos con enfermedad de Chagas

Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is a public health problem in Latin America. This parasite displays a high genetic diversity evidenced in six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) namely TcI–TcVI. The aim of this study was to observe the temporal variation of the DTUs in asymptomatic patients at three different times (10 days interval). The results showed that intermittence is the rule in the bloodstream of Chagas disease patients. The patients showed different detectable DTUs with short time intervals, which favors the clonal histiotropic model and the multiclonality structure of this parasite

INFLUENCIA DEL AMAMANTAMIENTO CONTROLADO Y DEL EFECTO MACHO SOBRE EL RESTABLECIMIENTO DE LA ACTIVIDAD OVÃRICA POSPARTO EN LA OVEJA PELIBUEY

Se determinó el efecto del amamantamiento y del efecto macho sobre la duración del anestro posparto en ovejas Pelibuey y sobre el peso corporal de éstas y sus crías. Siete días después del parto 56 ovejas adultas y sus crías fueron asignadas al azar a los tratamientos: T1) Amamantamiento continuo (CS; n=14); T2) Amamantamiento controlado (RS; n=14); T3) Amamantamiento continuo con carnero (CSR; n=14); y T4) Amamantamiento controlado con carnero (RSR; n=14). Un carnero con mandil fue introducido con las ovejas del día 7 al 60 posparto por 30 min dos veces al día. El peso corporal de ovejas y corderos se registró semanalmente del parto al destete. El porcentaje de ovulación en los primeros 60 días posparto fue mayor en RSR (100 %; P ≤ 0.05) que en RS, CSR y CS (57.1, 64.8 y 35.7 %, respectivamente). El control del amamantamiento redujo (P ≤ 0.05) el intervalo parto-primera ovulación (ILFO) en RSR (42.07±2.8 días) con respecto a RS, CSR y CS (51.07±3.24, 50.50±3.26 y 56.71±1.73 días, respectivamente). No hubo diferencias (P > 0.05) en peso corporal de ovejas y corderos. La interacción amamantamiento controlado-efecto macho aumentó el porcentaje de ovulación antes del día 60 posparto y redujo el ILFO, sin afectar el peso corporal de ovejas y corderos