Paralarvas y juveniles de cefalópodos en el Pacífico sur de México

Early life cephalopod stages are poorly studied and inadequately described. This study presents for the first time the composition of species, patterns of distribution, and abundance of parlarvae and juveniles of cephalopods in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, a highly productive and ecologically complex region. Paralarvae and juvenile were recovered from zooplancton samples collected with bongo tows (10-15 °N, 96-100 °O) on board of the O/V El Puma during June and September 2001. A third set of samples were obtained on board the B/P UMAR in November 2001 (14-16 °N, 93-97 °O) with a CalCOFI net. Average density of cephalopods was 16.2 organisms x 1000 m-3. Six families representing eight genera and at least 13 species were identified. The most abundant families were: Octopodidae (48.5% of specimens examined), Enoploteuthidae (15.9%), Argonautidae (13.3%), Ommastrephidae (11.5%), Onychoteuthidae (6.7%), and Cranchiidae (4.1%). The results revealed a typical tropical and oceanic cephalopod assemblage. The mantle length (ML) ranged between 0.2 and 37.8 mm; most specimens (90%) were small-sized, measuring less than 3 mm ML. The main genera and species are illustrated and their meso-scale distribution patterns are discussed. Results provide new information on the presence and relative abundance of tropical species in this region of the Eastern Pacific.Los primeros estadios de vida de la mayoría de las especies de cefalópodos se encuentran pobremente estudiados e inadecuadamente descritos. En este trabajo se presenta por primera vez la composición de especies, patrones de distribución y abundancia de paralarvas y juveniles de cefalópodos en el Golfo de Tehuantepec, en el Pacífico sur de México. Esta es una región altamente productiva y de gran complejidad ecológica. Los especímenes examinados provinieron de muestras de zooplancton recolectadas con redes Bongo (10-15 °N, 96-100 °O) a bordo del B/O El Puma durante junio y septiembre de 2001 y de un tercer muestreo a bordo del B/P UMAR, noviembre 2001 (14-16 °N, 93-97 °O) con red tipo CalCOFI. La abundancia promedio fue de 16.2 individuos x 1000 m-3. Se identificaron seis familias, que comprenden ocho géneros y por lo menos 13 especies. En orden de abundancia las familias fueron Octopodidae (48.5% de los especímenes analizados), Enoploteuthidae (15.9%), Argonautidae (13.3%), Ommastrephidae (11.5%), Onychoteuthidae (6.7%) y Cranchiidae (4.1%). Los resultados mostraron un ensamble de cefalópodos típico de aguas tropicales y oceánicas. La talla osciló entre 0.2 y 37.8 mm de longitud de manto (LM); el 90% de los organismos presentó tallas menores a 3 mm LM. Se presentan ilustraciones de los principales géneros y especies y se discuten sus patrones de distribución a meso-escala. Los resultados ofrecen nueva información sobre la presencia y abundancia relativa de especies tropicales en esta región del Pacífico Oriental

Evaluation of a multiplex panel for the diagnosis of acute infectious diarrhea in immunocompromised hematologic patients

Introduction: diarrhea is a frequent complication in hematologic patients, being an infectious cause frequently suspected. Rapid and accurate detection of gastrointestinal pathogens is vital in immunocompromised hosts. The aim of this study was to compare routine diagnostic methods versus a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the diagnosis of infectious diarrhea in immunocompromised hematologic patients. Material and methods: we conducted a prospective observational study from March 2015 to January 2016 to compare conventional methods for the diagnosis of infectious diarrhea with FIlmArray GI Panel (BioFire-bioMérieux, France). Samples from adult immunocompromised hematologic patients with acute diarrhea were collected. In cases with discordant results, a second multiplex assay was performed (Allplex, Seegene, Korea). The result was considered positive or negative when the same result was obtained by at least two of the methods. Results: a total of 95 samples were obtained from 95 patients (median age of 52 years (46-64)). Sixty-one (64%) episodes were hospital-acquired and 34 (36%) were community-acquired diarrhea. Twenty-five (26%) patients had a positive microbiological result, being Clostridium difficile the most frequent pathogen, followed by Campylobacter spp and norovirus. The concordance between FilmArray methods was good (k = 0.79). The FilmArray GI panel showed a sensitivity of 95%, a specificity of 100% for positive results. The time required to obtain results was markedly reduced with the use of multiplex PCR methods. Conclusions: multiplex molecular panels provide a rapid and sensitive tool for the diagnosis of infectious diarrhea, thereby allowing more timely clinical decisions in immunocompromised hematologic patients

Topological robot localization in a large-scale water pipe network

Topological localization is well suited to robots operating in water pipe networks because the environment is well defined as a set of discrete connected places like junctions, customer connections, and access points. Topological methods are more computationally efficient than metric methods, which is important for robots operating in pipes as they will be small with limited computational power. A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based localization method is presented here, with novel incorporation of measured distance travelled. Improvements to the method are presented which use a reduced definition of the robot state to improve computational efficiency and an alternative motion model where the probability of transitioning to each other state is uniform. Simulation in a large realistic map shows that the use of measured distance travelled improves the localization accuracy by around 70%, that the reduction of the state definition gives an reduction in computational requirement by 75% with only a small loss to accuracy dependant on the robot parameters, and that the alternative motion model gives a further improvement to accuracy

Triangular and prism-shaped gold-zinc oxide plasmonic nanostructures: in situ reduction, assembly and full-range photocatalytic performance

Gold-based nanocatalysts have been traditionally selected for multiple homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions of interest involving redox processes. Likewise, greener routes involving more efficient reactors and the use of inexpensive and nature-mimicking excitation sources have boosted the research on photocatalysts able to drive these chemical reactions upon excitation with multiple wavelength sources beyond the UV range. In the present work we report on a multi-step synthesis approach that implies the in situ generation of triangular and prism-shaped gold nanostructures with a localized surface plasmon resonance effect and their direct assembly onto a ZnO nanostructured semiconductor support. Different LED excitation sources in the whole UV-Vis-NIR range have been systematically selected to activate these hybrid materials in the selective reduction of p-nitrophenol (4-NP), a wellknown contaminant by-product. While ZnO becomes preferentially active in the UV window, the anisotropic shape of these gold plasmonic nanostructures helps to broaden the photocatalytic response of ZnO towards the visible and NIR range, being especially active under 460 nm blue light irradiation and expanding their potential application in multiple solar-driven catalytic processes of interest for decontamination and upgrading of toxic chemicals

Chemokines cooperate with TNF to provide protective anti-viral immunity and to enhance inflammation

The role of cytokines and chemokines in anti-viral defense has been demonstrated, but their relative contribution to protective anti-viral responses in vivo is not fully understood. Cytokine response modifier D (CrmD) is a secreted receptor for TNF and lymphotoxin containing the smallpox virus-encoded chemokine receptor (SECRET) domain and is expressed by ectromelia virus, the causative agent of the smallpox-like disease mousepox. Here we show that CrmD is an essential virulence factor that controls natural killer cell activation and allows progression of fatal mousepox, and demonstrate that both SECRET and TNF binding domains are required for full CrmD activity. Vaccination with recombinant CrmD protects animals from lethal mousepox. These results indicate that a specific set of chemokines enhance the inflammatory and protective anti-viral responses mediated by TNF and lymphotoxin, and illustrate how viruses optimize anti-TNF strategies with the addition of a chemokine binding domain as soluble decoy receptors.We thank Javier Salguero for help with animal experimentation and immunohistochemistry, Rocío Martín and Carolina Sánchez for technical assistance and Daniel Rubio for discussions on the project. This work was funded by Grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiviness and European Union (European Regional Development’s Funds, FEDER) (grant SAF2015-67485-R), and the Wellcome Trust (grant 051087/Z97/Z). M.B.R.-A. and A. Alejo were recipients of a Ramón y Cajal Contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation

Cost-effectiveness analysis of pemetrexed versus docetaxel in the second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in Spain: results for the non-squamous histology population

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to conduct a cost-effectiveness evaluation of pemetrexed compared to docetaxel in the treatment of advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for patients with predominantly non-squamous histology in the Spanish healthcare setting.MethodsA Markov model was designed consisting of stable, responsive, progressive disease and death states. Patients could also experience adverse events as long as they received chemotherapy. Clinical inputs were based on an analysis of a phase III clinical trial that identified a statistically significant improvement in overall survival for non-squamous patients treated with pemetrexed compared with docetaxel. Costs were collected from the Spanish healthcare perspective.ResultsOutcomes of the model included total costs, total quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), total life years gained (LYG) and total progression-free survival (PFS). Mean survival was 1.03 years for the pemetrexed arm and 0.89 years in the docetaxel arm; QALYs were 0.52 compared to 0.42. Per-patient lifetime costs were € 34677 and € 32343, respectively. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were € 23967 per QALY gained and € 17225 per LYG.ConclusionsPemetrexed as a second-line treatment option for patients with a predominantly non-squamous histology in NSCLC is a cost-effective alternative to docetaxel according to the € 30000/QALY threshold commonly accepted in Spain

Genome Sequence of Erythromelalgia-Related Poxvirus Identifies it as an Ectromelia Virus Strain

Erythromelagia is a condition characterized by attacks of burning pain and inflammation in the extremeties. An epidemic form of this syndrome occurs in secondary students in rural China and a virus referred to as erythromelalgia-associated poxvirus (ERPV) was reported to have been recovered from throat swabs in 1987. Studies performed at the time suggested that ERPV belongs to the orthopoxvirus genus and has similarities with ectromelia virus, the causative agent of mousepox. We have determined the complete genome sequence of ERPV and demonstrated that it has 99.8% identity to the Naval strain of ectromelia virus and a slighly lower identity to the Moscow strain. Small DNA deletions in the Naval genome that are absent from ERPV may suggest that the sequenced strain of Naval was not the immediate progenitor of ERPV

The soluble pattern recognition receptor PTX3 links humoral innate and adaptive immune responses by helping marginal zone B cells

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a fluid-phase pattern recognition receptor of the humoral innate immune system with ancestral antibody-like properties but unknown antibody-inducing function. In this study, we found binding of PTX3 to splenic marginal zone (MZ) B cells, an innate-like subset of antibody-producing lymphocytes strategically positioned at the interface between the circulation and the adaptive immune system. PTX3 was released by a subset of neutrophils that surrounded the splenic MZ and expressed an immune activation–related gene signature distinct from that of circulating neutrophils. Binding of PTX3 promoted homeostatic production of IgM and class-switched IgG antibodies to microbial capsular polysaccharides, which decreased in PTX3-deficient mice and humans. In addition, PTX3 increased IgM and IgG production after infection with blood-borne encapsulated bacteria or immunization with bacterial carbohydrates. This immunogenic effect stemmed from the activation of MZ B cells through a neutrophil-regulated pathway that elicited class switching and plasmablast expansion via a combination of T cell–independent and T cell–dependent signals. Thus, PTX3 may bridge the humoral arms of the innate and adaptive immune systems by serving as an endogenous adjuvant for MZ B cells. This property could be harnessed to develop more effective vaccines against encapsulated pathogens.European Advanced grant ERC-2011-ADG-20110310, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación grant SAF2011-25241, and Marie Curie reintegra -tion grant PIRG-08-GA-2010-276928 to A. Cerutti; Sara Borrell post-doctoral fellow -ships to A. Chorny; and US National Institutes of Health grants R01 AI57653, U01 AI95613, P01 AI61093, and U19 096187 to A. Cerutti. C. Cunha and A. Carvalho were funded by grants from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, co-funded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2—O Novo Norte)., and from the Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (SFRH/BPD/96176/2013 to C. Cunha and grant IF/00735/2014 to A. Carvalho) through the Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional and Projeto Estratégico (LA 26 – 2013–2014; PEst-C/SAU/LA0026/2013

mTOR: from growth signal integration to cancer, diabetes and ageing

In all eukaryotes, the target of rapamycin (TOR) signalling pathway couples energy and nutrient abundance to the execution of cell growth and division, owing to the ability of TOR protein kinase to simultaneously sense energy, nutrients and stress and, in metazoans, growth factors. Mammalian TOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2 exert their actions by regulating other important kinases, such as S6 kinase (S6K) and Akt. In the past few years, a significant advance in our understanding of the regulation and functions of mTOR has revealed the crucial involvement of this signalling pathway in the onset and progression of diabetes, cancer and ageing.National Institutes of Health (U.S.)Howard Hughes Medical InstituteWhitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchJane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research (Postdoctoral Fellowship)Human Frontier Science Program (Strasbourg, France

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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