Salmon Aquaculture and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Marine Environment

Antimicrobials used in salmon aquaculture pass into the marine environment. This could have negative impacts on marine environmental biodiversity, and on terrestrial animal and human health as a result of selection for bacteria containing antimicrobial resistance genes. We therefore measured the numbers of culturable bacteria and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in marine sediments in the Calbuco Archipelago, Chile, over 12-month period at a salmon aquaculture site approximately 20 m from a salmon farm and at a control site 8 km distant without observable aquaculture activities. Three antimicrobials extensively used in Chilean salmon aquaculture (oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid, and florfenicol) were studied. Although none of these antimicrobials was detected in sediments from either site, traces of flumequine, a fluoroquinolone antimicrobial also widely used in Chile, were present in sediments from both sites during this period. There were significant increases in bacterial numbers and antimicrobial-resistant fractions to oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid, and florfenicol in sediments from the aquaculture site compared to those from the control site. Interestingly, there were similar numbers of presumably plasmid-mediated resistance genes for oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid and florfenicol in unselected marine bacteria isolated from both aquaculture and control sites. These preliminary findings in one location may suggest that the current use of large amounts of antimicrobials in Chilean aquaculture has the potential to select for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in marine sediments

Adolescent Binge Alcohol Enhances Early Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology in Adulthood Through Proinflammatory Neuroimmune Activation

Epidemiological studies suggest that heavy alcohol use early in life is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, mechanisms connecting AD with alcohol use have not been identified. Both heavy alcohol use and AD feature increased proinflammatory signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that adolescent binge ethanol would increase AD molecular and behavioral pathology in adulthood through proinflammatory signaling. The 3xTg-AD mouse model (APPSwe, tauP301, Psen1tm1Mpm) which features amyloid (Aβ) and tau pathology beginning at 6–12 months underwent adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE, 5 g/kg/d, i.g., P25-55) with assessment of AD pathologic mediators at P200. A second group of mice received AIE +/− minocycline (30 mg/kg/d, IP) followed by behavioral testing in adulthood. Behavioral testing and age of testing included: locomotor activity and exploration (27–28 weeks), novel object recognition (NORT, 28-30 weeks), 3-chamber sociability and social memory (29–31 weeks), prepulse inhibition (PPI, 30–32 weeks), Morris Water Maze with reversal (MWM, 31–35 weeks), and Piezo sleep monitoring (35–37 weeks). We found that AIE increased levels of neurotoxic Aβ1–42 in adult female hippocampus as well as intraneuronal Aβ1–42 in amygdala and entorhinal cortex. Phosphorylated tau at residue Thr181 (p-tau-181) was also increased in female hippocampus by AIE. Several proinflammatory genes were persistently increased by AIE in the female hippocampus, including IL-1β, MCP-1, IL-6, and IFNα. Expression of these genes was strongly correlated with the levels of Aβ1–42 and p-tau-181 in hippocampus. AIE caused persistent decreases in locomotor activity (open-field and NORT habituation) and increased anxiety-like behavior (thigmotaxis) while reducing memory retention. Treatment with the anti-inflammatory compound minocycline during AIE blocked persistent increases in Aβ1–42 in amygdala and p-tau-181 in hippocampus, and prevented AIE-induced thigmotaxis and memory loss. Together, these data find that adolescent binge ethanol enhances AD molecular and behavioral pathology in adulthood through proinflammatory signaling. Blockade of proinflammatory signaling during ethanol exposure prevents ethanol-induced effects on pathologic accumulation of AD-associated proteins and persistent behavior changes relevant to human AD

Pediatric Cushing disease: disparities in disease severity and outcomes in the Hispanic and African-American populations.

BackgroundLittle is known about the contribution of racial and socioeconomic disparities to severity and outcomes in children with Cushing disease (CD).MethodsA total of 129 children with CD, 45 Hispanic/Latino or African-American (HI/AA) and 84 non-Hispanic White (non-HW), were included in this study. A 10-point index for rating severity (CD severity) incorporated the degree of hypercortisolemia, glucose tolerance, hypertension, anthropomorphic measurements, disease duration, and tumor characteristics. Race, ethnicity, age, gender, local obesity prevalence, estimated median income, and access to care were assessed in regression analyses of CD severity.ResultsThe mean CD severity in the HI/AA group was worse than that in the non-HW group (4.9±2.0 vs. 4.1±1.9, P=0.023); driving factors included higher cortisol levels and larger tumor size. Multiple regression models confirmed that race (P=0.027) and older age (P=0.014) were the most important predictors of worse CD severity. When followed up a median of 2.3 years after surgery, the relative risk for persistent CD combined with recurrence was 2.8 times higher in the HI/AA group compared with that in the non-HW group (95% confidence interval: 1.2-6.5).ConclusionOur data show that the driving forces for the discrepancy in severity of CD are older age and race/ethnicity. Importantly, the risk for persistent and recurrent CD was higher in minority children

Oxide‐Based Solid‐State Batteries: A Perspective on Composite Cathode Architecture

The garnet-type phase Li$_7$La$_3$Zr$_2$O$_{12}$ (LLZO) attracts significant attention as an oxide solid electrolyte to enable safe and robust solid-state batteries (SSBs) with potentially high energy density. However, while significant progress has been made in demonstrating compatibility with Li metal, integrating LLZO into composite cathodes remains a challenge. The current perspective focuses on the critical issues that need to be addressed to achieve the ultimate goal of an all-solid-state LLZO-based battery that delivers safety, durability, and pack-level performance characteristics that are unobtainable with state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries. This perspective complements existing reviews of solid/solid interfaces with more emphasis on understanding numerous homo- and heteroionic interfaces in a pure oxide-based SSB and the various phenomena that accompany the evolution of the chemical, electrochemical, structural, morphological, and mechanical properties of those interfaces during processing and operation. Finally, the insights gained from a comprehensive literature survey of LLZO–cathode interfaces are used to guide efforts for the development of LLZO-based SSBs

Landscape patterns and ecosystems services in agricultural landscapes in Western Europe : causes and consequences

International audienc

Landscape patterns and ecosystems services in agricultural landscapes in Western Europe : causes and consequences

International audienc

Ecological networks in agricultural landscapes: An interdisciplinary approach in the French bocage

International audienc

Snowfall and Water Stable Isotope Variability in East Antarctica Controlled by Warm Synoptic Events

Understanding climate proxy records that preserve physical characteristics of past climate is a prerequisite to reconstruct long-term climatic conditions. Water stable isotope ratios (δ18O) constitute a widely used proxy in ice cores to reconstruct temperature and climate. However, the original climate signal is altered between the formation of precipitation and the ice, especially in low-accumulation areas such as the East Antarctic Plateau. Atmospheric conditions under which the isotopic signal is acquired at Aurora Basin North (ABN), East Antarctica, are characterized with the regional atmospheric model Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MAR). The model shows that 50% of the snow is accumulated in less than 24 days year−1. Snowfall occurs throughout the year and intensifies during winter, with 64% of total accumulation between April and September, leading to a cold bias of −0.86°C in temperatures above inversion compared to the annual mean of −29.7°C. Large snowfall events are associated with high-pressure systems forcing warm oceanic air masses toward the Antarctic interior, which causes a warm bias of +2.83°C. The temperature-δ18O relationship, assessed with the global atmospheric model ECHAM5-wiso, is primarily constrained by the winter variability, but the observed slope is valid year-round. Three snow δ18O records covering 2004–2014 indicate that the anomalies recorded in the ice core are attributable to the occurrence of warm winter storms bringing precipitation to ABN and support the interpretation of δ18O in this region as a marker of temperature changes related to large-scale atmospheric conditions, particularly blocking events and variations in the Southern Annular Mode