Conservation and management in the French sub-Antarctic islands and surrounding seas

Of the French islands in the Southern Indian Ocean, Archipel Crozet and Iles Kerguelen are considered sub-Antarctic, and Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul temperate. All have endemic species amongst their biota. The Terres Australes et Antarctiques Franyaises (TAAF) is responsible for sovereignty of these islands, the French Polar Institute (IPEV) is the central agency for research, and the Committee for the Polar Environment (CEP) provides advice on environmental protection and management issues. In 2006 all of the islands gained the status of Nature Reserve, and a management plan is expected to be in place within three years, providing greater protection for the environment and biota

Colonic Biopsies to Assess the Neuropathology of Parkinson's Disease and Its Relationship with Symptoms

The presence of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites (LN) has been demonstrated in the enteric nervous system (ENS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The aims of the present research were to use routine colonoscopy biopsies (1) to analyze, in depth, enteric pathology throughout the colonic submucosal plexus (SMP), and (2) to correlate the pathological burden with neurological and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms.A total of 10 control and 29 PD patients divided into 3 groups according to disease duration were included. PD and GI symptoms were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III and the Rome III questionnaire, respectively. Four biopsies were taken from the ascending and descending colon during the course of a total colonoscopy. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed using antibodies against phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, neurofilaments NF 220 kDa (NF) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). The density of LN, labeled by anti-phosphorylated alpha-synuclein antibodies, was evaluated using a quantitative rating score. Lewy pathology was apparent in the colonic biopsies from 21 patients and in none of the controls. A decreased number of NF-immunoreactive neurons per ganglion was observed in the SMP of PD patients compared to controls. The amount of LN in the ENS was inversely correlated with neuronal count and positively correlated with levodopa-unresponsive features and constipation.Analysis of the ENS by routine colonoscopy biopsies is a useful tool for pre-mortem neuropathological diagnosis of PD, and also provides insight into the progression of motor and non-motor symptoms

Increased Intestinal Permeability Correlates with Sigmoid Mucosa alpha-Synuclein Staining and Endotoxin Exposure Markers in Early Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder of aging. The pathological hallmark of PD is neuronal inclusions termed Lewy bodies whose main component is alpha-synuclein protein. The finding of these Lewy bodies in the intestinal enteric nerves led to the hypothesis that the intestine might be an early site of PD disease in response to an environmental toxin or pathogen. One potential mechanism for environmental toxin(s) and proinflammatory luminal products to gain access to mucosal neuronal tissue and promote oxidative stress is compromised intestinal barrier integrity. However, the role of intestinal permeability in PD has never been tested. We hypothesized that PD subjects might exhibit increased intestinal permeability to proinflammatory bacterial products in the intestine. To test our hypothesis we evaluated intestinal permeability in subjects newly diagnosed with PD and compared their values to healthy subjects. In addition, we obtained intestinal biopsies from both groups and used immunohistochemistry to assess bacterial translocation, nitrotyrosine (oxidative stress), and alpha-synuclein. We also evaluated serum markers of endotoxin exposure including LPS binding protein (LBP). Our data show that our PD subjects exhibit significantly greater intestinal permeability (gut leakiness) than controls. In addition, this intestinal hyperpermeability significantly correlated with increased intestinal mucosa staining for E. coli bacteria, nitrotyrosine, and alpha-synuclein as well as serum LBP levels in PD subjects. These data represent not only the first demonstration of abnormal intestinal permeability in PD subjects but also the first correlation of increased intestinal permeability in PD with intestinal alpha-synuclein (the hallmark of PD), as well as staining for gram negative bacteria and tissue oxidative stress. Our study may thus shed new light on PD pathogenesis as well as provide a new method for earlier diagnosis of PD and suggests potential therapeutic targets in PD subjects.Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01155492

Démences : où sont les corps de Lewy ?

La démence à corps de Lewy (DCL) est la deuxième cause de démence dégénérative du sujet âgé, dans les grandes séries autopsiques. Dans la réalité quotidienne des centres mémoire pourtant, la DCL représente une faible proportion des diagnostics cliniques, avec une forte disparité entre les centres. Plusieurs raisons peuvent rendre compte de la faible sensibilité du diagnostic de DCL : l’imprécision et la subjectivité des critères diagnostiques existants ; la place insuffisante donnée à certains signes non-moteurs (troubles du comportement en sommeil paradoxal, dysautonomie) ; enfin et surtout l’association quasi constante de la pathologie de Lewy à une pathologie de type Alzheimer, qui domine rapidement le phénotype clinique. À l’heure de l’essor des thérapies ciblées contre les agrégats protéiques, de nouvelles échelles cliniques permettant d’appréhender la coexistence de la pathologie de Lewy dans la maladie d’Alzheimer sont plus que jamais nécessaires

Aliens in Antarctica: Accessing transfer of plant propagules by human visitors to reduce invasion risk

Despite considerable research on biological invasions, key areas remain poorly explored, especially ways to reduce unintentional propagule transfer. The Antarctic represents a microcosm of the situation, with the numbers of established non-native species growing. Information to help reduce potential impacts is therefore critical. We measured the propagule load of seeds, and fragments of bryophytes and lichens (the number of other plant or animal fragments was too low to draw any conclusions) carried in the clothing and gear of visitors to the Antarctic, during the 2007/08 austral summer. Samples were collected from different categories of visitors associated with national research programs and tourism and different categories of clothing and gear, new as well as used. We also collected information about the timing of travel and the regions visitors had travelled to prior to Antarctic travel. Seeds were found in 20% and 45% of tourist and science visitor samples, respectively. For bryophyte and lichen fragments the proportions were 11% and 20%, respectively. Footwear, trousers and bags belonging to field scientists were the highest risk items, especially of those personnel which had previously visited protected areas, parklands/botanic gardens or alpine areas. Tourists who visited rural/agricultural areas prior to travel, and/or travel with national programs or on smaller tourist vessels had the highest probability of transferring plant propagules. Travel either during the boreal or austral autumn months increased the probability of propagule presence. Our assessment is applicable to other areas given evidence of propagule transfer patterns in those areas that are broadly similar to those documented here. The current work provides a sound evidence base for both self-regulation (e.g. taking care of personal equipment) and organization-based regulation (e.g. issuing guidelines and holding regular inspections) to reduce propagule transfer of plants to the Antarctic

Widespread range expansions shape latitudinal variation in insect thermal limits

I thank the authors of previous studies on global variation in insect thermal tolerances who have generously provided open access use of their data sets.Peer reviewedPostprin

Framework for education for sustainability: enhancing competences in education

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