The sphaeromatid genus Paracilicaea Stebbing 1910 (Crustacea Isopoda) from the Western Indian Ocean with the description of five new species

Seven species of Paracilicaea are recorded from intertidal habitats on the coasts of Somalia and the Yemen, Western Indian Ocean. Paracilicaea falcata n. sp., P. mirabilis n. sp., P. nodosa n. sp., P. peniculata n. sp. and P. uncinata n. sp. are described. The genus Paracilicaea Stebbing 1910 from the Indo-Pacific region is revised and redefined. Four species are excluded from Paracilicaea and are here regarded as "incertae sedis": P. dakini (Tattersall 1922), P. fimbriata Kussakin et al. 1990, P. hamata (Baker 1908) and P. septemdentata (Baker 1910). A key to the species of the genus is given, together with a synoptic list of all species, with their synonymy and distribution

Pongycarcinia xiphidiourus n. gen. n. sp.,a new Brazilian Calabozoidae (Crustacea Isopoda)

The discovery of a second species of Calabozoidae, in a cave of an ancient karstic zone of the Bahia State (Brazil), provides new insights into the suborder Calabozoidea, described by VAN LIESHOUT in 1983 and represented until now by a single species Calabozoa pellucida Van Lieshout 1983 inhabiting the subterranean waters of Venezuela. The new finding expands the distribution range of the suborder and permits further studies to clarify its uncertain phylogeny. It also demonstrates a greater diversity of the isopod taxa in Brazilian subterranean waters than previously known. This suggests that a more detailed search would increase the chances of finding further interesting specimens of Crustacea in this region. The belonging of the newly discovered specimens to a new genus and species Pongycarcinia xiphidiourus is justified by the presence of peculiar characters, such as the shape of the second male pleopod and of some structures of the stomach. The two theories of the phylogeny of this isopod taxon, one linking it to the suborder Asellota through common ancestors, the other considering it more closely related to Oniscoidea, are discussed. KEY WORDS: stygofauna, Calabozoidea, Brazil, new genus, new species

First record of the family Stenasellidae (Crustacea, Isopoda) in Iran with the description of a new cave-dwelling species

A new cave isopod species of the genus Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897 (Stenasellidae) from Iran is reported and described. The new species, Stenasellus tashanensis sp. n. was found in Tashan Cave (Khuzestan province, southwest Iran). A complete description and drawings of the new species are provided. This new species is morphologically close to S. vermeuleni Magniez & Stock, 2000 from Oman

Molecular phylogenetic relationships among some stygobiotic cirolanid species (Crustacea, Isopoda)

Within the Cirolanidae, a widespread family of marine isopods, about 23 genera are stygobitic and inhabit phreatic and anchialine ecosystems, with many endemic species. The Mediterranean area has a high biodiversity of subterranean cirolanids, which are considered thalassoid limnostygobionts. A molecular analysis was conducted using mtDNA genes to infer the phylogeny of species belonging to six of the seven stygobitic genera of Cirolanidae inhabiting the Mediterranean basin and to two American taxa: Faucheria faucheri, Marocolana delamarei, Saharolana seurati, Sphaeromides virei virei, Turcolana sp., 13 taxa of the genus Typhlocirolana and two American species, Antrolana lira and Speocirolana bolivari. The Typhlocirolana species are widespread in the western Mediterranean basin, with a concentration of taxa in the Maghreb region. Turcolana sp. is localised in the eastern Mediterranean, while F. faucheri and S. v. virei are north Mediterranean taxa. S. seurati, the taxon least morphologically adapted to subterranean life, belongs to a monospecific genus present in a Tunisian spring. The molecular phylogeny showed a high affinity among the American taxa and the Mediterranean Sphaeromides, clustering in the Sphaeromides group identified by previous morphological studies. Typhlocirolana species and M. delamarei constitute their sister clade within the Sphaeromides group. F. faucheri appears to be a sister clade of the Sphaeromides group. S. seurati, showing reduced troglobitic adaptations, assumes disparate and unsolved positions in the phylogenetic reconstructions. The molecular data suggest that a combination of vicariance and dispersal events, occurring from 180 to a few million years ago, combined to bring about the present distribution pattern of Mediterranean cirolanid isopods

Salivary Proteomic Analysis and Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the major life-threatening complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), developing in 35%-70% of all allo-HSCT recipients despite immunosuppressive prophylaxis. The recent application of proteomic tools that allow screening for differentially expressed or excreted proteins in body fluids could possibly identify specific biomarkers for GVHD. Whole saliva is highly attractive for noninvasive specimen collection. In the present study, we collected saliva specimens from 40 consecutives patients who underwent allo-HSCT between December 2008 and March 2011 at our institution. The specimens were analyzed by HPLC coupled to electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry. Variable expression of S100 protein family members (S100A8, S100A9, and S100A7) was detected. Fourteen of 23 patients with GVHD demonstrated the presence of S100A8, compared with only 2 patients without GVHD and 0 patients in the control group ( P = .001). S100A7 was detectable in 11 of the 23 patients with GVHD but was absent in the other 2 groups ( P = .0001). S100A9-short was detected in 20 patients with GVHD, in 9 patients without GVHD, and in 8 healthy volunteers ( P = .01) Further studies are needed to clarify the role of these proteins as a marker of GVHD or as an index of mucosal inflammation

Thymosin β 4 in colorectal cancer is localized predominantly at the invasion front in tumor cells undergoing epithelial mesenchymal transition.

Thymosin β 4 (Tβ(4)) is a ubiquitous peptide that plays pivotal roles in the cytoskeletal system and in cell differentiation during embryogenesis. Recently, a role for Tβ(4) has been proposed in experimental and human carcinogenesis. This study was aimed at evaluating the correlation between Tβ(4) immunoractivity and colorectal cancer, with particular attemption to tumor cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition.86 intestinal biopsies were retrospectively analyzed including 76 colorectal adenocarcinomas with evident features of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and 10 samples of normal colorectal mucosa. Paraffin sections were immunostained for Tβ(4) and for E-cadherin. Total RNA was isolated from frozen specimens obtained, at surgery, from the normal colon mucosa, the deeper regions and the superficial tumor regions in four cases of colon cancer. Tβ(4) immunoreactivity was detected in the vast majority (59/76) of colon carcinomas, showing a patchy distribution, with well differentiated areas significantly more reactive than the less differentiated tumor zones. We also noted a zonal pattern in the majority of tumors, characterized by a progressive increase in immunostaining for Tβ(4) from the superficial toward the deepest tumor regions. The strongest expression for Tβ(4) was frequently detected in invading tumor cells with features of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The increase in reactivity for Tβ(4) matched with a progressive decrease in E-cadherin expression in invading cancer cells. At mRNA level, the differences in Tβ(4) expression between the surrounding colon mucosa and the tumors samples were not significant.Our data show that Tβ(4) is expressed in the majority of colon cancers, with preferential immunoreactivity in deep tumor regions. The preferential expression of the peptide and the increase in intensity of the immunostaining at the invasion front suggests a possible link between the peptide and the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition, suggesting a role for Tβ(4) in colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis