Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Abrogate Plasmablast Formation and Induce Regulatory B Cells Independently of T Helper Cells

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Cellular Immunity to Predict the Risk of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Kidney Transplantation: A Prospective, Interventional, Multicenter Clinical Trial

Background: Improving cytomegalovirus (CMV) immune-risk stratification in kidney transplantation is highly needed to establish guided preventive strategies. Methods: This prospective, interventional, multicenter clinical trial assessed the value of monitoring pretransplant CMV-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) using an interferon-γrelease assay to predict CMV infection in kidney transplantation. One hundred sixty donor/recipient CMV-seropositive (D+/R+) patients, stratified by their baseline CMV (immediate-early protein 1)-specific CMI risk, were randomized to receive either preemptive or 3-month antiviral prophylaxis. Also, 15-day posttransplant CMI risk stratification and CMI specific to the 65 kDa phosphoprotein (pp65) CMV antigen were investigated. Immunosuppression consisted of basiliximab, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroids in 80% of patients, whereas 20% received thymoglobulin induction therapy. Results: Patients at high risk for CMV based on pretransplant CMI developed significantly higher CMV infection rates than those deemed to be at low risk with both preemptive (73.3% vs 44.4%; odds ratio [OR], 3.44 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.30-9.08]) and prophylaxis (33.3% vs 4.1%; OR, 11.75 [95% CI, 2.31-59.71]) approaches. The predictive capacity for CMV-specific CMI was only found in basiliximab-treated patients for both preemptive and prophylaxis therapy. Fifteen-day CMI risk stratification better predicted CMV infection (81.3% vs 9.1%; OR, 43.33 [95% CI, 7.89-237.96]). Conclusions: Pretransplant CMV-specific CMI identifies D+/R+ kidney recipients at high risk of developing CMV infection if not receiving T-cell-depleting antibodies. Monitoring CMV-specific CMI soon after transplantation further defines the CMV infection prediction risk. Monitoring CMV-specific CMI may guide decision making regarding the type of CMV preventive strategy in kidney transplantation. Clinical Trials Registration: NCT02550639

Population pharmacokinetics of ganciclovir after intravenous ganciclovir and oral valganciclovir administration in solid organ transplant patients infected with cytomegalovirus

A population pharmacokinetics analysis was performed after intravenous ganciclovir and oral valganciclovir in solid organ transplant patients with cytomegalovirus. Patients received ganciclovir at 5 mg/kg of body weight (5 days) and then 900 mg of valganciclovir (16 days), both twice daily with dose adjustment for renal function. A total of 382 serum concentrations from days 5 and 15 were analyzed with NONMEM VI. Renal function given by creatinine clearance (CL(CR)) was the most influential covariate in CL. The final pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows: ganciclovir clearance (CL) was 7.49.(CL(CR)/57) liter/h (57 was the mean population value of CL(CR)); the central and peripheral distribution volumes were 31.9 liters and 32.0 liters, respectively; intercompartmental clearance was 10.2 liter/h; the first-order absorption rate constant was 0.895 h(-1); bioavailability was 0.825; and lag time was 0.382 h. The CL(CR) was the best predictor of CL, making dose adjustment by this covariate important to achieve the most efficacious ganciclovir exposure

Advancing fishery-independent stock assessments for the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) with new monitoring techn

The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, supports a key European fishery. Stock assessments for this species are mostly based on trawling and UnderWater TeleVision (UWTV) surveys. However, N. norvegicus are burrowing organisms and these survey methods are unable to sample or observe individuals in their burrows. To account for this, UWTV surveys generally assume that “1 burrow system = 1 animal”, due to the territorial behavior of N. norvegicus. Nevertheless, this assumption still requires in-situ validation. Here, we outline how to improve the accuracy of current stock assessments for N. norvegicus with novel ecological monitoring technologies, including: robotic fixed and mobile camera-platforms, telemetry, environmental DNA (eDNA), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). First, we outline the present status and threat for overexploitation in N. norvegicus stocks. Then, we discuss how the burrowing behavior of N. norvegicus biases current stock assessment methods. We propose that state-of-the-art stationary and mobile robotic platforms endowed with innovative sensors and complemented with AI tools could be used to count both animals and burrows systems in-situ, as well as to provide key insights into burrowing behavior. Next, we illustrate how multiparametric monitoring can be incorporated into assessments of physiology and burrowing behavior. Finally, we develop a flowchart for the appropriate treatment of multiparametric biological and environmental data required to improve current stock assessment methods

Detrimental effects of ocean acidification on the economically important Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum)

The mean predicted decrease of 0.3-0.4 pH units in the global surface ocean by the end of the century has prompted urgent research to assess the potential effects of ocean acidification on the marine environment, with strong emphasis on calcifying organisms. Among them, the Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum) is expected to be particularly susceptible to acidification effects, due to the elevated solubility of its Mg-calcite skeleton. This, together with the large overexploitation of this species, depicts a bleak future for this organism over the next decades. In this study, we evaluated the effects of low pH on the species from aquaria experiments. Several colonies of C. rubrum were long-term maintained for 314 days in aquaria at two different pH levels (8.10 and 7.81, pHT). Calcification rate, spicule morphology, major biochemical constituents (protein, carbohydrates and lipids) and fatty acids composition were measured periodically. Exposure to lower pH conditions caused a significant decrease in the skeletal growth rate in comparison with the control treatment. Similarly, the spicule morphology clearly differed between both treatments at the end of the experiment, with aberrant shapes being observed only under the acidified conditions. On the other hand, while total organic matter was significantly higher under low pH conditions, no significant differences were detected between treatments regarding total carbohydrate, lipid, protein and fatty acid composition. However, the lower variability found among samples maintained in acidified conditions relative to controls, suggests a possible effect of pH decrease on the metabolism of the colonies. Our results show, for the first time, evidence of detrimental ocean acidification effects on this valuable and endangered coral species

Resource pulse in shallow waters: characterization of the scavenger community associated with a dolphin carcass

OCEANS 2023, 05-08 June 2023, Limerick.-- 5 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables.-- © 20XX IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksNumerous studies have focused on the scavenger communities that feed on the carcasses of large marine animals, such as whales, in deep-sea habitats. Yet, there are far fewer studies in shallow water ecosystems and especially in the Mediterranean. Here, we performed an artificial cetacean fall in shallow waters in the northwestern Mediterranean. The cetacean carcass was monitored by via 30-min time-lapse photos using a fixed camera. We observed that bony fish were the main scavenger taxa. In addition, different species arrived at different times perhaps reflecting their role as scavengers or active predatorsWe thank the financial support from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe

A new approach to use marine robotic networks for ecosystem monitoring and management: The PLOME Project

4th Marine Imaging Workshop, 3-6 October 2022, Brest, FranceOur understanding of marine ecosystem functioning and processes relies on adequate spatio-temporal multiparametric monitoring procedures. Over the next 3 years, the Project PLOME (Platforms for Long-lasting Observation of Marine Ecosystems) will implement a spatially adaptive and autonomous network of easy-to-use benthic landers with dockable Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)ñ This network will be used to intelligently video-monitor and map marine ecosystems and their environment from coastal to deep-sea areas. All platforms will be connected via acoustic or optical communication and will operate over periods of weeks to months with real-time supervision. Stations will provide continuous and intensive temporal observations, while dockable AUVs (with battery recharge and data downloading capability) will provide intensive measurements at various spatial scales, using intelligent and adaptive trajectories to explore surrounding areas. Biological, geochemical and oceanographic data will be generated by an array of sensors including acoustic receivers and cameras. Images will be processed in real-time for species classification and tracking, using advanced data analysis and Deep Learning techniques. Metadata will be communicated between landers and AUVs and transmitted opportunistically whenever an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) connects the platform via aerial communications (i.e. GSM and satellite communications, depending on form distance to shore). The unattended operation will also be possible with an innovation of pop-up buoys that will allow data transfer to the surface from landers and UAVs to be relayed once the pop-up buoys reach the surface. Complex ecological indicators for ecosystem management will be computed from the collected data, by applying advanced computer vision techniques to classify, count and size individuals in video images and to generate multimodal maps of the seabed. A pipeline for automated data treatment will be tailored for multiparametric analyses to derive cause-effect relationships between biological variables and the physical habitatsPeer reviewe

CD154-CD40 T-cell co-stimulation pathway is a key mechanism in kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury

© 2015 International Society of Nephrology. Ischemia-reperfusion occurs in a great many clinical settings and contributes to organ failure or dysfunction. CD154-CD40 signaling in leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions or T-cell activation facilitates tissue inflammation and injury. Here we tested a siRNA anti-CD40 in rodent warm and cold ischemia models to check the therapeutic efficacy and anti-inflammatory outcome of in vivo gene silencing. In the warm ischemia model different doses were used, resulting in clear renal function improvement and a structural renoprotective effect. Renal ischemia activated the CD40 gene and protein expression, which was inhibited by intravenous siRNA administration. CD40 gene silencing improved renal inflammatory status, as seen by the reduction of CD68 and CD3 T-cell infiltrates, attenuated pro-inflammatory, and enhanced anti-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, siRNA administration decreased a spleen pro-inflammatory monocyte subset and reduced TNFα secretion by splenic T cells. In the cold ischemia model with syngeneic and allogeneic renal transplantation, the most effective dose induced similar functional and structural renoprotective effects. Our data show the efficacy of our siRNA in modulating both the local and the systemic inflammatory milieu after an ischemic insult. Thus, CD40 silencing could emerge as a novel therapeutic strategy in solid organ transplantation