Review of the California Trawl Fishery for Pacific Ocean Shrimp, Pandalus jordani, from 1992 to 2007

The commercial bottom trawl fishery for Pacific ocean shrimp, Pandalus jordani, or pink shrimp, operates mostly off the west coast of the contiguous United States. The California portion of the fishery has not been thoroughly documented or reviewed since the 1991 fishing season, despite its fluctuating more during the last 16 years (1992–2007) than at any other period in its 56-year history. We used fishery-dependent data, California Department of Fish and Game commercial landing receipts and logbook data, to analyze trends and review the California pink shrimp trawl fishery from 1992 to 2007. In particular, we focus on the most recent years of the fishery (2001–07) to highlight the gear developments and key management measures implemented in the fishery. The fishery is primarily driven by market conditions and is highly regulated by both state and Federal management agencies. Several key regulatory measures implemented during this decade have had significant effects on the fishery. For example, the requirement of a Bycatch Reduction Device on trawl nets targeting pink shrimp was approved in 2001 and has greatly reduced levels of finfish bycatch. Fishery production has declined, particularly in recent years, and may be attributed to decreased market prices, followed by reduced fishermen participation; both of which are related to changes in the processing sector and demand for the product

Quality assurance in pathology in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis—European recommendations

In Europe, colorectal cancer is the most common newly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer deaths, accounting for approximately 436,000 incident cases and 212,000 deaths in 2008. The potential of high-quality screening to improve control of the disease has been recognized by the Council of the European Union who issued a recommendation on cancer screening in 2003. Multidisciplinary, evidence-based European Guidelines for quality assurance in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis have recently been developed by experts in a pan-European project coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The full guideline document consists of ten chapters and an extensive evidence base. The content of the chapter dealing with pathology in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis is presented here in order to promote international discussion and collaboration leading to improvements in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis by making the principles and standards recommended in the new EU Guidelines known to a wider scientific community

Single-Cell Expression Profiling Reveals a Dynamic State of Cardiac Precursor Cells in the Early Mouse Embryo

In the early vertebrate embryo, cardiac progenitor/precursor cells (CPs) give rise to cardiac structures. Better understanding their biological character is critical to understand the heart development and to apply CPs for the clinical arena. However, our knowledge remains incomplete. With the use of single-cell expression profiling, we have now revealed rapid and dynamic changes in gene expression profiles of the embryonic CPs during the early phase after their segregation from the cardiac mesoderm. Progressively, the nascent mesodermal gene Mesp1 terminated, and Nkx2-5+/Tbx5+ population rapidly replaced the Tbx5low+ population as the expression of the cardiac genes Tbx5 and Nkx2-5 increased. At the Early Headfold stage, Tbx5-expressing CPs gradually showed a unique molecular signature with signs of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Lineage-tracing revealed a developmentally distinct characteristic of this population. They underwent progressive differentiation only towards the cardiomyocyte lineage corresponding to the first heart field rather than being maintained as a progenitor pool. More importantly, Tbx5 likely plays an important role in a transcriptional network to regulate the distinct character of the FHF via a positive feedback loop to activate the robust expression of Tbx5 in CPs. These data expands our knowledge on the behavior of CPs during the early phase of cardiac development, subsequently providing a platform for further study

The effects of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and an in-hospital exercise training programme on physical fitness and quality of life in locally advanced rectal cancer patients (The EMPOWER Trial): Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background: The standard treatment pathway for locally advanced rectal cancer is neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery. Neoadjuvant CRT has been shown to decrease physical fitness, and this decrease is associated with increased post-operative morbidity. Exercise training can stimulate skeletal muscle adaptations such as increased mitochondrial content and improved oxygen uptake capacity, both of which are contributors to physical fitness. The aims of the EMPOWER trial are to assess the effects of neoadjuvant CRT and an in-hospital exercise training programme on physical fitness, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and physical activity levels, as well as post-operative morbidity and cancer staging. Methods/Design: The EMPOWER Trial is a randomised controlled trial with a planned recruitment of 46 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer and who are undergoing neoadjuvant CRT and surgery. Following completion of the neoadjuvant CRT (week 0) prior to surgery, patients are randomised to an in-hospital exercise training programme (aerobic interval training for 6 to 9 weeks) or a usual care control group (usual care and no formal exercise training). The primary endpoint is oxygen uptake at lactate threshold ( V · o 2 at δ L ) measured using cardiopulmonary exercise testing assessed over several time points throughout the study. Secondary endpoints include HRQoL, assessed using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, and physical activity levels assessed using activity monitors. Exploratory endpoints include post-operative morbidity, assessed using the Post-Operative Morbidity Survey (POMS), and cancer staging, assessed by using magnetic resonance tumour regression grading. Discussion: The EMPOWER trial is the first randomised controlled trial comparing an in-hospital exercise training group with a usual care control group in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. This trial will allow us to determine whether exercise training following neoadjuvant CRT can improve physical fitness and activity levels, as well as other important clinical outcome measures such as HRQoL and post-operative morbidity. These results will aid the design of a large, multi-centre trial to determine whether an increase in physical fitness improves clinically relevant post-operative outcomes

Microbial Translocation and Inflammation Occur in Hyperacute Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Compromise Host Control of Virus Replication

<div><p>Within the first three weeks of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, virus replication peaks in peripheral blood. Despite the critical, causal role of virus replication in determining transmissibility and kinetics of progression to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), there is limited understanding of the conditions required to transform the small localized transmitted founder virus population into a large and heterogeneous systemic infection. Here we show that during the hyperacute “pre-peak” phase of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in macaques, high levels of microbial DNA transiently translocate into peripheral blood. This, heretofore unappreciated, hyperacute-phase microbial translocation was accompanied by sustained reduction of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-specific antibody titer, intestinal permeability, increased abundance of CD4+CCR5+ T cell targets of virus replication, and T cell activation. To test whether increasing gastrointestinal permeability to cause microbial translocation would amplify viremia, we treated two SIV-infected macaque ‘elite controllers’ with a short-course of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)–stimulating a transient increase in microbial translocation and a prolonged recrudescent viremia. Altogether, our data implicates translocating microbes as amplifiers of immunodeficiency virus replication that effectively undermine the host’s capacity to contain infection.</p></div

Longitudinal levels of SIV RNA and bacterial rDNA in plasma.

<p>Eight MHC-identical cynomolgus macaques became infected following intrarectal inoculation with SIVmac239. (<b>A</b>) The number of SIV RNA copies/ml of plasma was enumerated using qRT-PCR. Values are Log₁₀-transformed and plotted longitudinally. (<b>B</b>) 16S sequencing data was used to correct raw 16S rDNA qPCR data by removing the proportion of 16S rDNA copies that corresponded to taxa detected in matched water controls. Corrected 16S rDNA copy data was Log₁₀-transformed and plotted longitudinally. By Bonferroni-corrected one-way ANOVA, plasma levels of 16S rDNA did not change significantly between -42 and 0 DPI. Plasma levels of 16S rDNA increased significantly (P<0.0005) from both -42 to 8 DPI and 0 to 8 DPI. In both plots, the vertical checkered box positioned between 14 and 18 DPI corresponds to the acute-phase peak of SIV replication as detected by our sampling resolution.</p

Chemically inducing microbial translocation stimulates multiple host inflammatory processes and increases plasma viremia and levels of bacterial rDNA.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Log₁₀-transformed plasma SIV load. (<b>B</b>) Linear plasma 16S rDNA load. The bacteria-specific host response was assessed by monitoring plasma levels of (<b>C</b>) EndoCAb and (<b>D</b>) sCD14. Plasma IFABP levels (<b>E</b>) were used to monitor changes to the integrity of the gastrointestinal epithelium. Generalized inflammation was monitored using plama levels of (<b>F</b>) MCP-1. In all panels, 5 black vertical lines indicate the 5-day period of once-daily treatment with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS).</p

Plasma markers of intestinal breach and host response to microbial translocation.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Longitudinal proportion (%) of plasma genera detected in contemporaneous stool. Each line corresponds to a single animal. Bonferroni-corrected one-way ANOVA was used to calculate statistical significance. (<b>B</b>) Longitudinal plasma levels of IFABP, a marker of enterocyte loss and generalized damage to the intestinal epithelium. The host response to microbial translocation was measured using plasma levels of (<b>C</b>) EndoCAb, and (<b>D</b>) sCD14. By linear regression analysis, plasma levels of sCD14 at (<b>E</b>) 8 DPI, and (<b>F</b>) 21 DPI correlated positively with chronic-phase set-point viral loads. Acute inflammation was measured using plasma levels of (<b>G</b>) MCP-1, and (<b>H</b>) SAA1. For B, C, D, G, and H, differences between 0–8 DPI were evaluated for statistical significance by two-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank testing.</p