Evolutionary Trajectory of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Genome Shrinkage during Spread in Asia

Background - White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the sole member of the novel Nimaviridae family, and the source of major economic problems in shrimp aquaculture. WSSV appears to have rapidly spread worldwide after the first reported outbreak in the early 1990s. Genomic deletions of various sizes occur at two loci in the WSSV genome, the ORF14/15 and ORF23/24 variable regions, and these have been used as molecular markers to study patterns of viral spread over space and time. We describe the dynamics underlying the process of WSSV genome shrinkage using empirical data and a simple mathematical model. Methodology/Principal Findings - We genotyped new WSSV isolates from five Asian countries, and analyzed this information together with published data. Genome size appears to stabilize over time, and deletion size in the ORF23/24 variable region was significantly related to the time of the first WSSV outbreak in a particular country. Parameter estimates derived from fitting a simple mathematical model of genome shrinkage to the data support a geometric progression (

Lower Mississippian (Osagean) spire-bearing brachiopods from Canon de la Peregrina, north of Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, northeastern Mexico

Brachiopods are common in the lower and middle parts of the early Mississippian (Osagean) Vicente Guerrero Formation that is mainly a fine-grained quartz arenite found in the Ciudad Victoria area, Tamaulipas, northeastern Mexico. This shallow marine brachiopod fauna includes several spire-bearers: Lamellosathyris lamellosa, Cleiothyridina cf. tenuilineata, Camarophorella sp., Alispirifer tamaulipensis n. sp., Tylothyris? sp., Torynifer pseudolineatus, Syringothyris cf. typa, Syringothyris? sp., and Punctospirifer sp. Similar assemblages have been found in Osagean rocks of the Santiago Formation, Oaxaca, southeastern Mexico, and in several coeval formations in the USA: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. North American biogeographic affinities are suggested for these Mississippian faunas of northeastern Mexico. These contrast markedly with the Late Silurian situation, where the Tamaulipas material has Old World Realm, rather than North American, biogeographic affinities. This supports the interpretation that northeastern Mexico was an integral part of North America by the Mississippian, but not in the Late Silurian

Photoinduced Electron and Energy Transfer in Rigidly bridged Ru(II)-Rh(III) binuclear complexes

A series of binuclear Ru(II)-Rh(III) complexes of general formula (ttpy)Ru-tpy-(ph)n-tpy-Rh(ttpy)5+ (n ) 0-2) have been synthesized, where ttpy ) 4¢-p-tolyl-2,2¢:6,2¢¢-terpyridine and tpy-(ph)n-tpy represents a bridging ligand where two 2,2¢:6¢,2¢¢-terpyridine units are either directly linked together (n ) 0) or connected through one (n ) 1) or two (n ) 2) phenyl spacers in the 4¢-position. This series of complexes is characterized by (i) rigid bridge structures and (ii) variable metal-metal distances (11 Å for n ) 0, 15.5 Å for n ) 1, 20 Å for n ) 2). The photophysics of these binuclear complexes has been investigated in 4:1 methanol/ethanol at 77 K (rigid glass) and 150 K (fluid solution) and compared with that of mononuclear [Ru(ttpy)2 2+ and Rh(ttpy)2 3+] or binuclear [(ttpy)Ru-tpy-tpy-Ru(ttpy)4+] model compounds. At 77 K, no quenching of the Ru(II)-based excited state is observed, whereas energy transfer from excited Rh(III) to Ru(II) is observed for all complexes. At 150 K, energy transfer from excited Rh(III) to Ru(II) is again observed for all complexes, while quenching of excited Ru(II) by electron transfer to Rh(III) is observed, but only in the complex with n ) 0. The reasons for the observed behavior can be qualitatively understood in terms of standard electron and energy transfer theory. The different behavior between n ) 0 and n ) 1, 2 can be rationalized in terms of better electronic factors and smaller reorganizational energies for the former species. The freezing of electron transfer quenching but not of energy transfer, in rigid glasses reflects the different reorganizational energies involved in the two processes. Unusual results arising from multiphotonic and conformational effects have also been observed with these systems

Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Ru(II)-Rh(III) Terpyridine Dyads

--

Oleaster Oil Positively Modulates Plasma Lipids in Humans

The olive tree had been domesticated during the early Neolithic in the Near East, and more than 1000 different cultivars have been identified to date. However, examples of wild olive trees (Olea europaea oleaster) can still be found in the Mediterranean basin. Evidence of oleaster use for oil production can be found in historical and sacred texts, such as the Odyssey, the Holey Koran, and the Holey Bible. While the nutritional and healthful properties of olive oil are actively being explored, there are no data on the human actions of oleaster oil. Therefore, we investigated the effect of prolonged, i.e., 1 month, consumption of oleaster oil on the lipid profile of a 40 healthy Algerian subjects (aged 27.9 +/- 3.85 years), as compared to nonconsumers from the same area. Plasma urea, creatinine, and uric acid concentrations and glycemia did not significantly differ, at the end of the study, between controls and oleaster-oil-supplemented subjects. Conversely, we recorded significant decreases of plasma triglyceride concentration (-24.8%; p < 0.05), total cholesterol (-12.13%; p < 0.05), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (-24.39%; p < 0.05) in oleaster-oil-treated subjects. Concomitantly, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were significantly increased (17.94%; p < 0.05) by oleaster oil administration. In conclusion, we show that oil obtained from feral olive trees, i.e., oleasters, improves the plasma lipid profile of healthy volunteers

Argan oil improves surrogate markers of CVD in humans

Limited – though increasing – evidence suggests that argan oil might be endowed with potential healthful properties, mostly in the areas of CVD and prostate cancer. We sought to comprehensively determine the effects of argan oil supplementation on the plasma lipid profile and antioxidant status of a group of healthy Algerian subjects, compared with matched controls. A total of twenty healthy subjects consumed 15 g/d of argan oil – with toasted bread – for breakfast, during 4 weeks (intervention group), whereas twenty matched controls followed their habitual diet, but did not consume argan oil. The study lasted 30 d. At the end of the study, argan oil-supplemented subjects exhibited higher plasma vitamin E concentrations, lower total and LDL-cholesterol, lower TAG and improved plasma and cellular antioxidant profile, when compared with controls. In conclusion, we showed that Algerian argan oil is able to positively modulate some surrogate markers of CVD, through mechanisms which warrant further investigation