Biodiversity of Antarctic nematodes: the ‘NEMASLAN’ project

Recent biodiversity research reveals that more than 50% of the free-living marine nematode species found in before unexplored environments, such as Antarctica, are new to science. Too few taxonomists remain to describe them all. Additionally, there are problems with the quality control of the identification of nematode samples since fewer labs possess all the literature (and manpower) required to verify the morphological characteristics of the animals.NEMASLAN, software for a tree-based classification system (Access) is a methodological approach for improving identification, classification and description of specimens in difficult taxonomic groups such as free-living marine nematodes. It seeks to serve as an easy research tool for central management of information of the taxon of the nematodes, and this for people with little training in database technologies.The program consists of four main modules: (see demonstration)1. Module for data- entering: provides possibilities to enter geographic, morphological, ecological, and literature data on species in a record database. An additional connection between these database records and the actual digital sources (e.g. scanned literature from original descriptions and good recent publications) enlarges the scientific value of the system.Personal metadatasets can be created, for example for the use of drawings and/or pictures of undescribed species or not yet published taxonomic papers. 2. Module for document consultation: data sources (PDF documents of original descriptions, text documents, photographs,…) and their references can be consulted. 3. Module for Quick Search: Morphological data from the species identification (e.g. shape and/or position of amphid, cuticle, buccal cavity, tail, oesophagus, caudal glands and spinneret; feeding type; numerical fields of de Man ratios, length, setae, nerve ring, excretory porus, spicule, gubernaculum, male supplements) and other information such as type of biotope and water depth distribution can be consulted; datasheets can be generated.4. Search Module: The output and search within the database can be user configured (i.e. questions like ‘give me all the nematode species so far described from the coastal sites with a spicule longer than 30µm and cuticular punctuations’ get an answer from this database). SQL (Structured Query Language) is the formal language used to query databases. An in-depth knowledge of the fairly complex SQL language is not required.The Windows application functions for multi-users in a local network environment (LAN). The program is distributed free of charge through a website (at present http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~tdeprez: later on through a more specified Antarctic database website) at which demonstration datasets are distributed.NEMASLAN was applied to Antarctic nematodes. The resulting ‘Biodiversity of Antarctic Nematodes’ CD-ROM version includes an archive of all numerical and nominal information for each species ever described in the Southern Ocean. About 350 species have thus been digitized. There is an urgent need to develop appropriate information tools on Antarctic marine biodiversity for scientific, environmental management and conservation purposes. Therefore, the collaboration of three laboratory pioneers in Antarctic biodiversity databases (e.g. Antarctic nematodes, amphipods and echinids, see other presentations) will seek for further developments such as the construction of a common portal, common mapping applications, or links to pertinent information sources of Antarctic benthic biodiversity. The resulting ‘biodiversity information system’ will be made available to the scientific community. This will be done within the framework of the OSTC project on Antarctica - BIANZO (BIodiversity of three representative groups of the ANtarctic ZOobenthos). It will contribute to the DIVERSITAS, SA 2000, CoML-OBIS and GBIF initiatives

CubeSat measurements of thermospheric plasma: spacecraft charging effects on a plasma analyzer

Spacecraft charging affects the accuracy of in-situ plasma measurements in space. We investigate the impact of spacecraft charging on upper thermospheric plasma measurements captured by a 2U CubeSat called Phoenix. Using the Spacecraft Plasma Interactions Software (SPIS), we simulate dayside surface potentials of − 0.6 V, and nightside potentials of − 0.2 V. We also observe this charging mechanism in the distribution function captured by the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) on-board Phoenix. Whilst negative charging in the dense ionosphere is known, the diurnal variation in density and temperature has resulted in dayside potentials that are smaller than at night. We apply charging corrections in accordance with Liouville’s theorem and employ a least-squares fitting routine to extract the plasma density, bulk speed, and temperature. Our routine returns densities that are within an order of magnitude of the benchmarks above, but they carry errors of at least 20%. All bulk speeds are greater than the expected range of 60–120 m/s and this could be due to insufficient charging corrections. Our parameterised ion temperatures are lower than our empirical benchmark but are in-line with other in-situ measurements. Temperatures are always improved when spacecraft charging corrections are applied. We mostly attribute the shortcomings of the findings to the ram-only capture mode of the INMS. Future work will improve the fitting routine and continue to cross-check with other in-flight data

Letter to the Editor: MDCT features of spontaneous pneumomediatinum by Macklin effect.

Dear editor, we read with great interest the two recent case reports about pneumomediastinum: “Com-pli cated pulmonary interstitial emphysema” reported by C. Altay (JBR-BTR, 2011, 94: 84) and “Spon - taneous soccer-induced pneumo - mediastinum in a 39-year-old man” reported by K. De Smet (JBR-BTR, 2011, 346-347). We would like to widen this subject, reporting a case of massive spontaneous pneumomediastinum by Macklin effect in a 25-year-old man. High quality MDCT series, associated to scientific literature review, allow us to highlight the the CT appearance of the Macklin effect leads us to affirm the spontaneous orgin of the pneumomedia - stinum and thus permitting to be reassurin

Sonoprinting liposomes on tumor spheroids by microbubbles and ultrasound

Ultrasound-triggered drug-loaded microbubbles have great potential for drug delivery due to their ability to locally release drugs and simultaneously enhance their delivery into the target tissue. We have recently shown that upon applying ultrasound, nanoparticle-loaded microbubbles can deposit nanoparticles onto cells grown in 2D monolayers, through a process that we termed "sonoprinting". However, the rigid surfaces on which cell monolayers are typically growing might be a source of acoustic reflections and aspherical microbubble oscillations, which can influence microbubble-cell interactions. In the present study, we aim to reveal whether sonoprinting can also occur in more complex and physiologically relevant tissues, by using free-floating 3D tumor spheroids as a tissue model. We show that both monospheroids (consisting of tumor cells alone) and cospheroids (consisting of tumor cells and fibroblasts, which produce an extracellular matrix) can be sonoprinted. Using doxorubicin-liposome-loaded microbubbles, we show that sonoprinting allows to deposit large amounts of doxorubicin-containing liposomes to the outer cell layers of the spheroids, followed by doxorubicin release into the deeper layers of the spheroids, resulting in a significant reduction in cell viability. Sonoprinting may become an attractive approach to deposit drug patches at the surface of tissues, thereby promoting the delivery of drugs into target tissues

Grip Force Reveals the Context Sensitivity of Language-Induced Motor Activity during “Action Words

Studies demonstrating the involvement of motor brain structures in language processing typically focus on \ud time windows beyond the latencies of lexical-semantic access. Consequently, such studies remain inconclusive regarding whether motor brain structures are recruited directly in language processing or through post-linguistic conceptual imagery. In the present study, we introduce a grip-force sensor that allows online measurements of language-induced motor activity during sentence listening. We use this tool to investigate whether language-induced motor activity remains constant or is modulated in negative, as opposed to affirmative, linguistic contexts. Our findings demonstrate that this simple experimental paradigm can be used to study the online crosstalk between language and the motor systems in an ecological and economical manner. Our data further confirm that the motor brain structures that can be called upon during action word processing are not mandatorily involved; the crosstalk is asymmetrically\ud governed by the linguistic context and not vice versa

Anti-inflammatory phytotherapeutics: a valuable alternative to NSAID treatment in horses?

ABSTRACT In equine practice, phytotherapy is meeting the increasing demand of horse owners for "natural", safe treatment methods. Long-term use of NSAIDs can cause severe adverse effects, hence the growing popularity of anti-inflammatory phytotherapeutics. At the current time, several different herbal mixes are being commercialized, which makes it difficult for horse owners and veterinarians alike to make a well-founded choice. Harpagophytum procumbens (devil's claw), Salix spp. (willow) and Ribes nigrum (blackcurrant), three plants that are often used in these mixes, have been evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Based on published studies and the evaluation of these studies, for example by the Cochrane Collaboration, there seems to be some evidence for Harpagophytum procumbens and Salix spp. having a stronger analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect than placebos in humans. In horses, however, only one limited clinical study on Harpagophytum has been performed up until now, while no studies were found on the use of Salix in horses. More research is needed before any claims concerning efficacy or safety can be made regarding the use of these plants in treating horses. It has also been claimed that Ribes nigrum leaves have an anti-inflammatory effect, though this has not yet been clinically proven either in humans or in horses. Although veterinary phytotherapy is as old as animal husbandry itself, little scientific proof can be found regarding its uses. More research is needed before phytotherapy can be advertised as a valuable and safe alternative to the more conventional treatment protocols. SAMENVATTING In de paardengeneeskunde is fytotherapie een antwoord op de toenemende vraag van eigenaren naar "natuurlijke", veilige behandelmethoden. Het langdurig gebruik van NSAID's kan ernstige bijwerkingen geven, vandaar de groeiende populariteit van ontstekingsremmende fytotherapeutica. Momenteel zijn er meerdere kruidenpreparaten commercieel beschikbaar maar het is moeilijk voor de paardeneigenaar en de dierenarts om hier een verantwoorde keuze uit te maken. Harpagophytum procumbens (duivelsklauw), Salix spp. (wilg) en Ribes nigrum (zwarte bes of cassisbes), drie planten die veel gebruikt worden in de commerciële preparaten, werden zowel in vitro als in vivo geëvalueerd. Op basis van gepubliceerde studies en de beoordeling van deze studies door onder andere de Cochrane Collaboration zijn er aanwijzingen dat Harpagophytum procumbens en Salix spp. bij de mens een groter analgetisch en ontstekingsremmend effect hebben dan een placebo. Bij paarden is er echter slechts één beperkte klinische studie met Harpagophytum uitgevoerd, en het effect van Salix werd nog nooit onderzocht. Om de werkzaamheid en veiligheid van deze planten bij het paard te kunnen beoordelen, dient er meer onderzoek verricht te worden. De bladeren van Ribes nigrum zouden ook een ontstekingsremmende werking hebben, maar dit is momenteel noch bij de mens, noch bij het paard klinisch aangetoond. Hoewel de veterinaire fytotherapie al even lang bestaat als de dierhouderij, is er weinig wetenschappelijk bewijs omtrent een efficiënte werking ervan. Vooraleer men de fytotherapie kan aanraden als een waardevol en veilig alternatief voor de conventionele behandelmethoden, is er duidelijk nog meer onderzoek nodig

Herd-level animal management factors associated with the occurrence of bovine neonatal pancytopenia in calves in a multicountry study

Since 2007, mortality associated with a previously unreported haemorrhagic disease has been observed in young calves in several European countries. The syndrome, which has been named ‘bovine neonatal pancytopenia’ (BNP), is characterised by thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia and a panmyelophthisis. A herd-level case-control study was conducted in four BNP affected countries (Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands) to identify herd management risk factors for BNP occurrence. Data were collected using structured face-to-face and telephone interviews of farm managers and their local veterinarians. In total, 363 case farms and 887 control farms were included in a matched multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis. Case-control status was strongly associated with the odds of herd level use of the vaccine PregSure® BVD (PregSure, Pfizer Animal Health) (matched adjusted odds ratio (OR) 107.2; 95% CI: 41.0–280.1). This was also the case for the practices of feeding calves colostrum from the calf’s own dam (OR 2.0; 95% CI: 1.1–3.4) or feeding pooled colostrum (OR 4.1; 95% CI: 1.9–8.8). Given that the study had relatively high statistical power and represented a variety of cattle production and husbandry systems, it can be concluded with some confidence that no other herd level management factors are competent causes for a sufficient cause of BNP occurrence on herd level. It is suggested that genetic characteristics of the dams and BNP calves should be the focus of further investigations aimed at identifying the currently missing component causes that together with PregSure vaccination and colostrum feeding represent a sufficient cause for occurrence of BNP in calves

Glycoprotein Ib activation by thrombin stimulates the energy metabolism in human platelets

<div><p>Thrombin-induced platelet activation requires substantial amounts of ATP. However, the specific contribution of each ATP-generating pathway <i>i</i>.<i>e</i>., oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) versus glycolysis and the biochemical mechanisms involved in the thrombin-induced activation of energy metabolism remain unclear. Here we report an integral analysis on the role of both energy pathways in human platelets activated by several agonists, and the signal transducing mechanisms associated with such activation. We found that thrombin, Trap-6, arachidonic acid, collagen, A23187, epinephrine and ADP significantly increased glycolytic flux (3–38 times <i>vs</i>. non-activated platelets) whereas ristocetin was ineffective. OxPhos (33 times) and mitochondrial transmembrane potential (88%) were increased only by thrombin. OxPhos was the main source of ATP in thrombin-activated platelets, whereas in platelets activated by any of the other agonists, glycolysis was the principal ATP supplier. In order to establish the biochemical mechanisms involved in the thrombin-induced OxPhos activation in platelets, several signaling pathways associated with mitochondrial activation were analyzed. Wortmannin and LY294002 (PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitors), ristocetin and heparin (GPIb inhibitors) as well as resveratrol, ATP (calcium-release inhibitors) and PP1 (Tyr-phosphorylation inhibitor) prevented the thrombin-induced platelet activation. These results suggest that thrombin activates OxPhos and glycolysis through GPIb-dependent signaling involving PI3K and Akt activation, calcium mobilization and protein phosphorylation.</p></div

A systematic review on the use of quantitative imaging to detect cancer therapy adverse effects in normal-appearing brain tissue

Cancer therapy for both central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS tumors has been previously associated with transient and long-term cognitive deterioration, commonly referred to as ‘chemo fog’. This therapy-related damage to otherwise normal-appearing brain tissue is reported using post-mortem neuropathological analysis. Although the literature on monitoring therapy effects on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is well established, such macroscopic structural changes appear relatively late and irreversible. Early quantitative MRI biomarkers of therapy-induced damage would potentially permit taking these treatment side effects into account, paving the way towards a more personalized treatment planning. This systematic review (PROSPERO number 224196) provides an overview of quantitative tomographic imaging methods, potentially identifying the adverse side effects of cancer therapy in normal-appearing brain tissue. Seventy studies were obtained from the MEDLINE and Web of Science databases. Studies reporting changes in normal-appearing brain tissue using MRI, PET, or SPECT quantitative biomarkers, related to radio-, chemo-, immuno-, or hormone therapy for any kind of solid, cystic, or liquid tumor were included. The main findings of the reviewed studies were summarized, providing also the risk of bias of each study assessed using a modified QUADAS-2 tool. For each imaging method, this review provides the methodological background, and the benefits and shortcomings of each method from the imaging perspective. Finally, a set of recommendations is proposed to support future research