Buoyancy of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus eggs obtained from captive broodstock spontaneous spawning events

One way to alleviate the pressure on the wild fishery of the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) and aid in its conservation could be its domestication and the development of a self-sustained industry to rear the larvae and produce fingerlings in captive conditions for further grow-out. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) is carrying out several research projects on this target for the last 12 years. No one has yet measured the vertical distribution and the in situ buoyancy of bluefin tuna eggs in any of its spawning areas in the world (Mac Kenzie and Mariani, 2012). In the present study the density of bluefin tuna eggs has been measured, comparing it with those of other fish species, particularly Atlantic bonito. We have estimated the speed by which BFT eggs rise to the surface to get a better idea of the potential loss of spawned eggs dragged by the currents out of the cage

First description of a Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O103:H2 strain isolated from sheep in Brazil

Univ Estadual Londrina, Dept Microbiol, Londrina, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Parasitol & Imunol, São Paulo, BrazilInst Butantan, Bacteriol Lab, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Santiago de Compostela, Fac Vet, Dept Microbiol & Parasitol, Lab Referencia E Coli, Lugo, SpainUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Parasitol & Imunol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Impact of HuR inhibition by the small molecule MS-444 on colorectal cancer cell tumorigenesis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Observed during CRC tumorigenesis is loss of post-transcriptional regulation of tumor-promoting genes such as COX-2, TNFα and VEGF. Overexpression of the RNA-binding protein HuR (ELAVL1) occurs during colon tumorigenesis and is abnormally present within the cytoplasm, where it post-transcriptionally regulates genes through its interaction with 3\u27UTR AU-rich elements (AREs). Here, we examine the therapeutic potential of targeting HuR using MS-444, a small molecule HuR inhibitor. Treatment of CRC cells with MS-444 resulted in growth inhibition and increased apoptotic gene expression, while similar treatment doses in non-transformed intestinal cells had no appreciable effects. Mechanistically, MS-444 disrupted HuR cytoplasmic trafficking and released ARE-mRNAs for localization to P-bodies, but did not affect total HuR expression levels. This resulted in MS-444-mediated inhibition of COX-2 and other ARE-mRNA expression levels. Importantly, MS-444 was well tolerated and inhibited xenograft CRC tumor growth through enhanced apoptosis and decreased angiogenesis upon intraperitoneal administration. In vivo treatment of MS-444 inhibited HuR cytoplasmic localization and decreased COX-2 expression in tumors. These findings provide evidence that therapeutic strategies to target HuR in CRC warrant further investigation in an effort to move this approach to the clinic

Effect of photoperiod and light intensity on larval rearing of bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus

A couple of trials to test the effects of photoperiod and light intensity on growth and survival of Atlantic bluefin tuna larva were carried out. With regard to light intensity, no significant differences were found between 500, 1000 and 2000 luxes. With regards to photoperiod meanwhile long photoperiods lead to a greater growth, intermediate photoperiods (16hL:8hD and 12hL:12hD ) improve significantly survival rates.Research Project ATAME (CT M2011-29525-C04)

Otolith microstructure analyses in cultured Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae as a tool to provide accurate estimates of size selective growth and mortality

Being bigger is not always the best option to survive and mortality rates do not always decline with increasing larval size. Smaller size at a given age could under certain condition and at certain stages of development confer a survival advantage on individual members of a larval cohort. Reference

Size-selective mortality of laboratory-reared Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae: evidence from microstructure analysis of otoliths during the piscivorous phase

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae show strong piscivorous feeding behavior at the very early larval stage and this enables them to grow at high rates. We conducted a laboratory experiment in which Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae were offered larval prey for the first time at different ages to simulate the early onset of piscivory at three treatments: yolk-sac larvae (YSL), delayed onset of piscivory (DYSL) and a solely planktivorous diet (Rotifers). The otolith microstructure was then used to compare the larval size distribution at the onset of the experiment with the estimated previous size-at-age of the survivors at the end of the experiment by back- calculation. Within a cohort, our results show size-selective mortality of the largest larvae independent of the differences in the timing of onset of piscivory and differences in growth patterns. The results also corroborate the rapid response of Atlantic bluefin tuna to piscivory in terms of growth reflected in the otolith increment widths. Being bigger did not infer a survival advantage and mortality rates did not decline with increasing larval size. Smaller size at a given age could under certain conditions and stages of development confer a survival advantage of individual members of a larval cohort when suitable small-sized prey is available.Versión del editor2,26

Scanning the Landscape of Flux Compactifications: Vacuum Structure and Soft Supersymmetry Breaking

We scan the landscape of flux compactifications for the Calabi-Yau manifold $\mathbb{P}^4_{[1,1,1,6,9]}$ with two K\" ahler moduli by varying the value of the flux superpotential $W_0$ over a large range of values. We do not include uplift terms. We find a rich phase structure of AdS and dS vacua. Starting with $W_0\sim 1$ we reproduce the exponentially large volume scenario, but as $W_0$ is reduced new classes of minima appear. One of them corresponds to the supersymmetric KKLT vacuum while the other is a new, deeper non-supersymmetric minimum. We study how the bare cosmological constant and the soft supersymmetry breaking parameters for matter on D7 branes depend on $W_0$, for these classes of minima. We discuss potential applications of our results.Comment: draft format remove

Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas (SPPT). Still an unsolved enigma

Solid pseudo-papillary tumor (SPPT) is a rare cystic tumor of the pancreas (1-3% of exocrine tumors of the pancreas) which shows an “enigmatic” behavior on the clinical and molecular pattern. A retrospective analysis of the citological studies and resected specimens of pancreatic cystic tumors from May 1996 to February 2010 was carried out. Three cases of SPPT were found, which are the objective of this study. The diagnosis was established upon occasional finding in the abdominal CT, in spite of sizing between 3 and 6 cm of diameter. In the three cases the preoperative diagnosis was confirmed by citology and specific immunohistochemical staining. Cases 2 and 3 showed strong immunoreactivity for Beta-Catenina and E-Cadherina staining. Radical resection (R0) was carried out in the three cases. A young male –21 years of age (case 1)- who had duodenal infiltration and two lymph nodes metastases died of hepatic and peritoneal recurrence 20 months following surgery. The other two cases are free of disease. The current review of the literature reports roughly 800 cases since the first report in 1959, and shows the enigmatic character of this tumor regarding the cellular origin, molecular pathways, prognostic factors and clinical behavior

Plasmid flux in Escherichia coli ST131 sublineages, analyzed by plasmid constellation network (PLACNET), a new method for plasmid reconstruction from whole genome sequences

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.Bacterial whole genome sequence (WGS) methods are rapidly overtaking classical sequence analysis. Many bacterial sequencing projects focus on mobilome changes, since macroevolutionary events, such as the acquisition or loss of mobile genetic elements, mainly plasmids, play essential roles in adaptive evolution. Existing WGS analysis protocols do not assort contigs between plasmids and the main chromosome, thus hampering full analysis of plasmid sequences. We developed a method (called plasmid constellation networks or PLACNET) that identifies, visualizes and analyzes plasmids in WGS projects by creating a network of contig interactions, thus allowing comprehensive plasmid analysis within WGS datasets. The workflow of the method is based on three types of data: assembly information (including scaffold links and coverage), comparison to reference sequences and plasmid-diagnostic sequence features. The resulting network is pruned by expert analysis, to eliminate confounding data, and implemented in a Cytoscape-based graphic representation. To demonstrate PLACNET sensitivity and efficacy, the plasmidome of the Escherichia coli lineage ST131 was analyzed. ST131 is a globally spread clonal group of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), comprising different sublineages with ability to acquire and spread antibiotic resistance and virulence genes via plasmids. Results show that plasmids flux in the evolution of this lineage, which is wide open for plasmid exchange. MOBF12/IncF plasmids were pervasive, adding just by themselves more than 350 protein families to the ST131 pangenome. Nearly 50% of the most frequent γ–proteobacterial plasmid groups were found to be present in our limited sample of ten analyzed ST131 genomes, which represent the main ST131 sublineages.Work was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (BFU2011-26608 to FdlC, FIS-PI09/01273 and AGL2013-47852-R to JB and FIS-PI12-01581 and CB06/02/0053 to TMC), by the European Seventh Framework Program (612146/FP7-ICT-2013-10 to FdlC and 282004/FP7-HEALTH-2011-2.3.1-2 to FdlC and TMC); by Red Española de Investigación en Patología­ Infecciosa (REIPI RD06/0008/1018-1016) to JB, by Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia and European Regional Development Fund, ERDF (CN2012/303 and EM2014/001) to JB and by the regional government of Madrid (PROMPT-S2010/BMD2414) to TMC. We are also grateful to the Spanish Network for the Study of Plasmids and Extrachromosomal Elements (REDEEX) for funding cooperation among Spanish microbiologists working on the biology of MGEs (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation BFU2011-14145-E).Peer Reviewe

Load that maximizes power output in countermovement jump

Introduction: One of the main problems faced by strength and conditioning coaches is the issue of how to objectively quantify and monitor the actual training load undertaken by athletes in order to maximize performance. It is well known that performance of explosive sports activities is largely determined by mechanical power. Objective: This study analysed the height at which maximal power output is generated and the corresponding load with which is achieved in a group of male-trained track and field athletes in the test of countermovement jump (CMJ) with extra loads (CMJEL). Methods: Fifty national level male athletes in sprinting and jumping performed a CMJ test with increasing loads up to a height of 16 cm. The relative load that maximized the mechanical power output (Pmax) was determined using a force platform and lineal encoder synchronization and estimating the power by peak power, average power and flight time in CMJ. Results: The load at which the power output no longer existed was at a height of 19.9 ± 2.35, referring to a 99.1 ± 1% of the maximum power output. The load that maximizes power output in all cases has been the load with which an athlete jump a height of approximately 20 cm. Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of considering the height achieved in CMJ with extra load instead of power because maximum power is always attained with the same height. We advise for the preferential use of the height achieved in CMJEL test, since it seems to be a valid indicative of an individual's actual neuromuscular potential providing a valid information for coaches and trainers when assessing the performance status of our athletes and to quantify and monitor training loads, measuring only the height of the jump in the exercise of CMJEL.Actividad Física y Deport