Liposomes: a new non-pharmacological therapy concept for seasonal-allergic-rhinoconjunctivitis

Mucosal barrier disorders play an important role in the pathomechanism of the allergic disease. A new approach for their treatment uses liposomes, which consist of phospholipids that make up 75% of the protective nasal surfactant layer. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy of liposomal-based therapy, as a comprehensive treatment alternative to guideline cromoglycate-based therapy, in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (SAR). We compared nasal and conjunctival symptom reduction with LipoNasal n nasal spray used as monotherapy (LNM), or LipoNasal n nasal spray and Tears Again eye spray combination therapy (LTC), against standard cromoglycate combination therapy (CGC). This prospective, controlled, open observational study was conducted monocentrically. According to their symptoms and preferences 72 patients with SAR were distributed in three equal groups. The study comprised two visits at an interval of 7 days. The efficacy was examined by daily documenting nasal and conjunctival symptom scores. The Nasal-Spray-Sensory-Scale and the Eye-Drops/Spray-Sensory-Scale were used to investigate the tolerability. Quality of life (QoL) was evaluated, using the RHINASTHMA QoL German adapted version. LNM achieved significant improvement in nasal (p < 0.001) and conjunctival symptoms (p = 0.050). The symptom reduction using CGC was equally significant. LTC led to significant nasal symptom relief (p = 0.045). QoL did not improve significantly in all groups (p > 0.05). The tolerability of all treatments was good and no adverse reactions were observed. In all treatment groups the improvement of the nasal and conjunctival symptom scores exceeds the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). The results demonstrate good tolerability and efficacy of non-pharmaceutical liposomal-based treatment (LipoNasal n and Tears Again), given as monotherapy or combination therapy, for nasal and conjunctival symptoms caused by SAR. This study indicates that liposomal-based treatment for SAR may be a comparable alternative to cromoglycate therapy. Further studies are needed to verify these findings

Sex-specific and individual preferences for hunting strategies in white sharks

1. Fine-scale predator movements may be driven by many factors including sex, habitat anddistribution of resources. There may also be individual preferences for certain movementstrategies within a population which can be hard to quantify.2. Within top predators, movements are also going to be directly related to the mode of hunting,for example sit-and-wait or actively searching for prey. Although there is mounting evidencethat different hunting modes can cause opposing trophic cascades, there has been littlefocus on the modes used by top predators, especially those in the marine environment.3. Adult white sharks (Carcharhodon carcharias) are well known to forage on marine mammalprey, particularly pinnipeds. Sharks primarily ambush pinnipeds on the surface, but there hasbeen less focus on the strategies they use to encounter prey.4. We applied mixed hidden Markov models to acoustic tracking data of white sharks in acoastal aggregation area in order to quantify changing movement states (area-restricted searching(ARS) vs. patrolling) and the factors that influenced them. Individuals were re-tracked overmultiple days throughout a month to see whether state-switching dynamics varied or if individualspreferred certain movement strategies.5. Sharks were more likely to use ARS movements in the morning and during periods of chummingby ecotourism operators. Furthermore, the proportion of time individuals spent in the two differentstates and the state-switching frequency, differed between the sexes and between individuals.6. Predation attempts/success on pinnipeds were observed for sharks in both ARS and patrollingmovement states and within all random effects groupings. Therefore, white sharks can use both a ‘sitand-wait’ (ARS) and ‘active searching’ (patrolling) movements to ambush pinniped prey on the surface.7. White sharks demonstrate individual preferences for fine-scale movement patterns, whichmay be related to their use of different hunting modes. Marine top predators are generallyassumed to use only one type of hunting mode, but we show that there may be a mix withinpopulations. As such, individual variability should be considered when modelling behaviouraleffects of predators on prey species

Three-dimensional cell culture on microscaffolds with spatially resolved surface chemistry

To spatially control protein-binding and cell-attachment in three dimensions (3D) we employ a two-photon-triggered cycloaddition of functional (e.g. biotinylated) dienophiles on the surface of 3D microscaffolds, which have been silanized with photoactivatable diens (photoenol). © 2014 Optical Society of America

Fear at the top: killer whale predation drives white shark absence at South Africa’s largest aggregation site

Risk-induced fear effects exerted by top predators are pervasive in terrestrial and marine systems, with lasting impacts on ecosystem structure and&nbsp; function. The loss of top predators can disrupt ecosystems and trigger trophic cascades, but the introduction of novel apex predators into&nbsp; ecosystems is not well understood. We documented the emigration of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias in response to the presence of a pair of&nbsp; killer whales, Orcinus orca, at a large white shark aggregation site in South Africa. Between February and June in 2017, five white shark carcasses&nbsp; washed up on beaches in Gansbaai, Western Cape Province, four of which had their livers removed. Sightings per unit effort (sea days) and telemetry&nbsp; data demonstrated that white sharks emigrated from Gansbaai following these predation events, and in response to further sightings of this pair&nbsp; and other killer whale pods in the vicinity. Tagging data demonstrated the immediate departure of white sharks from Gansbaai, and some sharks&nbsp; were subsequently moving east. Contrary to expected and well-documented patterns of white shark occurrence at this site, their sightings dropped&nbsp; throughout the following 2.5 years; change-point analysis on both datasets confirmed these departures coincided with killer whale presence and&nbsp; shark carcasses washing out. These findings suggest that white sharks respond rapidly to risk from a novel predator, and that their absence&nbsp; triggered the emergence of another predator, the bronze whaler Carcharhinus brachyurus. Predator–prey interactions between white sharks, other&nbsp; coastal sharks, and killer whales are increasing in South Africa and are expected to have pronounced impacts on the ecosystem