Prioritization of fish communities with a view to conservation and restoration on a large scale European basin, the Loire (France)

The hierarchical organization of important sites for the conservation or the restoration of fish communities is a great challenge for managers, especially because of financial or time constraints. In this perspective, we developed a methodology, which is easy to implement in different locations. Based on the fish assemblage characteristics of the Loire basin (France), we created a synthetic conservation value index including the rarity, the conservation status and the species origin. The relationship between this new synthetic index and the Fish-Based Index allowed us to establish a classification protocol of the sites along the Loire including fish assemblages to be restored or conserved. Sites presenting disturbed fish assemblages, a low rarity index, few threatened species, and a high proportion of non-native species were considered as important for the restoration of fish biodiversity. These sites were found mainly in areas where the assemblages are typical of the bream zone, e.g. with a higher number of eurytopic and limnophilic species. On the contrary, important sites for conservation were defined as having an important conservation potential (high RI, a lot of threatened species, and few nonnatives fish species) and an undisturbed fish assemblage similar to the expected community if habitats are undisturbed. Important sites for conservation were found in the Loire basin’s medium reaches which host assemblages typical for the grayling and the barbell zones, e.g. with a higher number of rheophilic species. The synthetic conservation value index could be adapted and completed with other criteria according to management priorities and capacities

Predictive value of multiple cytokines and chemokines for mortality in an admixed population: 15-year follow-up of the Bambui-Epigen (Brazil) cohort study of aging

Inflammation, particularly elevated IL-6 serum levels, has been associated with increased mortality risk, mostly in Caucasians. The influence of genetic ethno-racial background on this association is unknown. We examined associations between baseline serum levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other cytokines (IL1-2, TNF, IL-10, and IL1β) and chemokines (CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9 and CXCL10) with 15-year mortality in 1,191 admixed Brazilians aged 60 years and over. Elevated IL6 level (but not other biomarkers) was associated with increased risk of deaths with fully adjusted hazard ratios of 1.51 (95% CI = 1.15, 1.97), 1.54 (95% CI = 1.20, 1.96) and 1.79 (95% CI = 1.40, 2.29) for the 2nd, 3rd and the highest quartiles, respectively. Genomic African and Native American proportions did not modify the association (p > 0.05). The discriminatory ability to predict death of a model based on IL-6 alone was similar as that of a comprehensive morbidity score (C statistics = 0.59 and 0.60, respectively). The abilities of IL-6 and the morbidity score models to predict death remained stable for very long term after the baseline measurement. Our results indicate that genome-based African and Native American ancestries have no impact on the prognostic value of IL-6 for mortality

Primary Antiretroviral Drug Resistance among HIV Type 1-Infected Individuals in Brazil

Infection with drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has been documented in all countries that have surveyed for it and may result in an unfavorable response to therapy. The prevalence and characteristics of individuals with transmitted resistance to antiretroviral drugs have been scarcely described in Brazil. We performed antiretroviral resistance testing prior to initiation of therapy in 400 subjects enrolled from 20 centers in 13 Brazilian cities between March and September 2007. Genotyping was conducted using PCR-amplified HIV pol products by automated sequencing, and genotype interpretation was done according to the IAS-USA consensus. Of 400 eligible participants, 387 (95.8%) were successfully tested. Seven percent of antiretroviral-naive patients carried viruses with one or more major mutation associated with drug resistance. The prevalence of these mutations was 1.0% for protease inhibitors, 4.4% for nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and 1.3% for nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The frequency of multidrug resistance among the resistant strains was 13.6%. Among subjects infected with drug-resistant virus, the majority were infected with subtype B viruses (91%). Subjects from the city of Sao Paulo had higher transmitted resistance mutations compared to the rest of the country. Reporting a partner taking antiretroviral medications was associated with a higher chance of harboring HIV variants with major drug resistance mutations [odds ratio = 2.57 (95% confidence interval, 1.07-6.16); p = 0.014]. Resistance testing in drug-naive individuals identified 7% of subjects with mutations associated with reduced susceptibility to antiretroviral drugs. Continued surveillance of drug-resistant HIV-1 in Brazil is warranted when guidelines for HIV prophylaxis and treatment are updated. Resistance testing among drug-naive patients prior to treatment initiation should be considered, mainly directed at subjects whose partners are already on antiretroviral therapy.259861867Laboratorio Pfizer do Brasi

Identification of a Novel Calotropis procera Protein That Can Suppress Tumor Growth in Breast Cancer through the Suppression of NF-κB Pathway

10.1371/journal.pone.0048514PLoS ONE712