Hydro-acoustic methods as a practical tool for cartography of seagrass beds

Cartography of seagrass beds is very important for management and conservation of sound littoral ecosystems and sustainable fisheries in the coastal waters. The cartographical methods to map spatial distribution of seagrass beds are reviewed. They are classified into two categories. One is a direct method by visual observation and the other is an indirect method using a remote sensing apparatus. Indirect methods are divided into optical or hydro-acoustic methods. Indirect methods require sea truth by direct methods. Optical methods are image analysis of aerial photography or satellite imagery. They are effective for mapping broad areas but limited to shallow waters due to light attenuation in waters. Hydro-acoustic methods such as an echosounder and a side scan sonar have no limitation of turbidity. The echosounder is practical to map vertically density and height distributions of seagrass beds. The side scan sonar and multi-beam sonar are appropriate for mapping broad horizontal distributions. Coupling of several indirect mapping methods is more useful than using only one method

An Up-to-Date Anti-Cancer Treatment Strategy Focusing on HIF-1α Suppression: Its Application for Refractory Ovarian Cancer

Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) predominantly determines the transcriptional activity of HIF-1, which induces the certain genetic expressions to participate in the proliferation and progression of the tumor. It is supposed that HIF-1α is also an extremely important factor in cancer treatment. Based on the results of our recent analyses using ovarian tumors, which indicated the close association of HIF-1α expression with the acquisition of malignancy and the characterization of histology, we further investigated the possibility of a new strategy of cancer therapy that targeted HIF-1α inhibition in the ovarian carcinoma. The cell line HUOCA-II, which originates from the refractory ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma, was treated with rapamycin. The inhibitory effect of HIF-1α was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. It was demonstrated that inhibition of HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions would lead to the down-regulation of tumor cell proliferation. Interestingly, there was little or no change in GLUT-1 expression by rapamycin administration. Thus, the inhibition of GLUT-1 may also be a key for the new strategy of cancer therapy as well as HIF-1α and VEGF

Alterations in Mucin Expression in Ovarian Mucinous Tumors: Immunohistochemical Analysis of MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6, and CD10 Expression

The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6, and CD10 in ovarian mucinous adenoma (MA), mucinous borderline tumor (MB), and mucinous adenocarcinoma (MC), and to analyze the relationship between prognosis and these expressions. The expression of MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6, and CD10 was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis in 29 cases of MA, 29 cases of MB, and 26 cases of MC and scored based on the percentage of positive cells. Moreover, the ovarian mucinous tumors were classified into 4 phenotypes based on the staining patterns: intestinal, gastrointestinal, gastric, and unclassified patterns. The gastrointestinal pattern and the expression of MUC2 and CD10 increased from MA to MC. Conversely, the gastric pattern and MUC5AC expression decreased from MA to MC. Low MUC2 expression in MC was correlated with a better long-term survival rate. MUC2 expression in MC may be a useful predictor of the clinical outcome. The expression patterns of MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6, and CD10 indicated that intestinal metaplasia may arise from the gastric-like epithelium in MA and that a close association exists between carcinogenesis and intestinal metaplasia in major ovarian mucinous tumors

Developmental trajectory of the corpus callosum from infancy to the juvenile stage: Comparative MRI between chimpanzees and humans

[email protected] brains develop during early life is one of the most important topics in neuroscience because it underpins the neuronal functions that mature during this period. A comparison of the neurodevelopmental patterns among humans and nonhuman primates is essential to infer evolutional changes in neuroanatomy that account for higher-order brain functions, especially those specific to humans. The corpus callosum (CC) is the major white matter bundle that connects the cerebral hemispheres, and therefore, relates to a wide variety of neuronal functions. In humans, the CC area rapidly expands during infancy, followed by relatively slow changes. In chimpanzees, based on a cross-sectional study, slow changes in the CC area during the juvenile stage and later have also been reported. However, little is known about the developmental changes during infancy. A longitudinal study is also required to validate the previous cross-sectional observations about the chimpanzee CC. The present longitudinal study of magnetic resonance imaging scans demonstrates that the CC development in chimpanzees and humans is characterized by a rapid increase during infancy, followed by gradual increase during the juvenile stage. Several differences between the two species were also identified. First, there was a tendency toward a greater increase in the CC areas during infancy in humans. Second, there was a tendency toward a greater increase in the rostrum during the juvenile stage in chimpanzees. The rostral body is known to carry fibers between the bilateral prefrontal and premotor cortices, and is involved in behavior planning and control, verbal working memory, and number conception. The rostrum is known to carry fibers between the prefrontal cortices, and is involved in attention control. The interspecies differences in the developmental trajectories of the rostral body and the rostrum might be related to evolutional changes in the brain systems. © 2017 Sakai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Alteration of the immune environment in bone marrow from children with recurrent B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Due to the considerable success of cancer immunotherapy for leukemia, the tumor immune environment has become a focus of intense research; however, there are few reports on the dynamics of the tumor immune environment in leukemia. Here, we analyzed the tumor immune environment in pediatric B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia by analyzing serial bone marrow samples from nine patients with primary and recurrent disease by mass cytometry using 39 immunophenotype markers, and transcriptome analysis. High-dimensional single-cell mass cytometry analysis elucidated a dynamic shift of T cells from naïve to effector subsets, and clarified that, during relapse, the tumor immune environment comprised a T helper 1-polarized immune profile, together with an increased number of effector regulatory T cells. These results were confirmed in a validation cohort using conventional flow cytometry. Furthermore, RNA transcriptome analysis identified the upregulation of immune-related pathways in B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells during relapse, suggesting interaction with the surrounding environment. In conclusion, a tumor immune environment characterized by a T helper 1-polarized immune profile, with an increased number of effector regulatory T cells, could contribute to the pathophysiology of recurrent B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This information could contribute to the development of effective immunotherapeutic approaches against B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapse

Prevalence and Mechanisms of Mucus Accumulation in COVID-19 Lung Disease

Rationale: The incidence and sites of mucus accumulation, and molecular regulation of mucin gene expression, in COVID-19 lung disease have not been reported. Objectives: Characterize incidence of mucus accumulation and the mechanisms mediating mucin hypersecretion in COVID-19 lung disease. Methods: Airway mucus and mucins were evaluated in COVID-19 autopsy lungs by AB-PAS and immunohistochemical staining, RNA in situ hybridization, and spatial transcriptional profiling. SARS-CoV-2-infected human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cultures were utilized to investigate mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2-induced mucin expression and synthesis and test candidate countermeasures. Measurements and Main Results: MUC5B and variably MUC5AC RNA levels were increased throughout all airway regions of COVID-19 autopsy lungs, notably in the sub-acute/chronic disease phase following SARS-CoV-2 clearance. In the distal lung, MUC5B-dominated mucus plugging was observed in 90% of COVID-19 subjects in both morphologically identified bronchioles and microcysts, and MUC5B accumulated in damaged alveolar spaces. SARS-CoV-2-infected HBE cultures exhibited peak titers 3 days post inoculation, whereas induction of MUC5B/MUC5AC peaked 7-14 days post inoculation. SARS-CoV-2 infection of HBE cultures induced expression of EGFR ligands and inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1α/β) associated with mucin gene regulation. Inhibiting EGFR/IL-1R pathways, or dexamethasone administration, reduced SARS-CoV-2-induced mucin expression. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a high prevalence of distal airspace mucus accumulation and increased MUC5B expression in COVID-19 autopsy lungs. HBE culture studies identified roles for EGFR and IL-1R signaling in mucin gene regulation post SARS-CoV-2 infection. These data suggest that time-sensitive mucolytic agents, specific pathway inhibitors, or corticosteroid administration may be therapeutic for COVID-19 lung disease. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació