Ocean warming is the key filter for successful colonization of the migrant octocoral Melithaea erythraea (Ehrenberg, 1834) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Climate, which sets broad limits for migrating species, is considered a key filter to species migration between contrasting marine environments. The Southeast Mediterranean Sea (SEMS) is one of the regions where ocean temperatures are rising the fastest under recent climate change. Also, it is the most vulnerable marine region to species introductions. Here, we explore the factors which enabled the colonization of the endemic Red Sea octocoral Melithaea erythraea (Ehrenberg, 1834) along the SEMS coast, using sclerite oxygen and carbon stable isotope composition (delta O-18(SC) and delta C-13(SC)), morphology, and crystallography. The unique conditions presented by the SEMS include a greater temperature range (similar to 15 degrees C) and ultra-oligotrophy, and these are reflected by the lower delta C-13(SC) values. This is indicative of a larger metabolic carbon intake during calcification, as well as an increase in crystal size, a decrease of octocoral wart density and thickness of the migrating octocoral sclerites compared to the Red Sea samples. This suggests increased stress conditions, affecting sclerite deposition of the SEMS migrating octocoral. The delta(OSC)-O-18 range of the migrating M. erythraea indicates a preference for warm water sclerite deposition, similar to the native depositional temperature range of 21-28 degrees C. These findings are associated with the observed increase of minimum temperatures in winter for this region, at a rate of 0.35 +/- 0.27 degrees C decade(-1) over the last 30 years, and thus the region is becoming more hospitable to the IndoPacific M. erythraea. This study shows a clear case study of "tropicalization" of the Mediterranean Sea due to recent warming

Increased prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive women with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a powerful independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among hypertensive patients. Data regarding relationships between diabetes and LVH are controversial and inconclusive, whereas possible gender differences were not specifically investigated. The goal of this work was to investigate whether gender differences in left heart structure and mass are present in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Five hundred fifty hypertensive patients with at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor (314 men and 246 women, age 52 to 81, mean 66 ± 6 years), were enrolled in the present analysis. In 200 (36%) of them – 108 men and 92 women – type 2 diabetes mellitus was found upon enrollment. End-diastolic measurements of interventricular septal thickness (IVS), LV internal diameter, and posterior wall thickness were performed employing two-dimensionally guided M-mode echocardiograms. LVH was diagnosed when LV mass index (LVMI) was >134 g/m(2 )in men and >110 g/m(2 )in women. RESULTS: Mean LVMI was significantly higher among diabetic vs. nondiabetic women (112.5 ± 29 vs. 105.6 ± 24, p = 0.03). In addition, diabetic women presented a significantly higher prevalence of increased IVS thickness, LVMI and left atrial diameter on intra-gender comparisons. The age adjusted relative risk for increased LVMI in diabetics vs. nondiabetics was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.0–2.2) in females and only 0.8 (0.5–1.3) in males. CONCLUSION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with a significantly higher prevalence of LVH and left atrial enlargement in hypertensive women

The challenges of achieving timely diagnosis and culturally appropriate care of people with dementia from minority ethnic groups in Europe

In a just society, everyone should have equal access to healthcare in terms of prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment and care. Europe is a multicultural society made up of people who identify with a wide range of ethnic groups. Many older people from minority ethnic groups also have a direct migration background. Several studies have shown that there is a lack of equity in relation to dementia diagnoses and care because equal opportunities do not necessarily translate into equal outcomes. An expert ethics working group led by Alzheimer Europe has produced an extensive report on this issue, a policy brief and a guide for health and social care workers. In this brief summary, the authors/members of the expert working group present some of the key challenges and recommendations for healthcare clinicians striving to provide timely diagnosis and good quality care and treatment to people with dementia from all ethnic groups

New evidence of Melithaea erythraea colonization in the Mediterranean

Highlights: • A stable population of a migrant octocoral was found on a natural substrate. • No genetic differences were found between Mediterranean and the Red Sea specimens. • The bacterial epibiota has undergone change following migration. • Stable-isotope analysis suggests no nutritional barrier to migration for the coral. • Larval connectivity model supports Port of Hadera origin of expansion hypothesis. Abstract: The Indo-Pacific gorgonian coral Melithaea erythraea (Melithaeidae, previously Acabaria) was first recorded in the Mediterranean in 1999 in the harbor of the Hadera power station, Israel. This species is the only octocoral known to have invaded the Mediterranean Sea. In the past two decades, it has demonstrated a stable population in this harbor, and never found outside this location, not even on the adjacent natural rocky reefs. Then, during 2015, several specimens of M. erythraea were found on a natural substrate at Nahsholim, Israel, about 23 km north of the power station. This is the first evidence of this coral's existence beyond the power plant harbor. The number of colonies there suggests that the population is sustainable, but further study is needed. Although no genetic differences were found among specimens from Nahsholim, Hadera, and the Red Sea, their bacterial epibiota has undergone change following migration. The carbon source and trophic position are similar between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, suggesting that there is no nutritional barrier to migration for the coral. The larval connectivity model supports the hypothesis that the planulae that have settled in Nahsholim originated from the Port of Hadera, although other arrival scenarios are also possible. The spread of this species suggests that the eastern Mediterranean is becoming increasingly suitable for migrating corals, joining the many other Indo-Pacific migrants that have already established populations there

Supplementary Information from Surface microtopography modulates sealing zone development in osteoclasts cultured on bone

Supplementary Information for the article: “Surface Microtopography Modulates Sealing Zone development in Osteoclasts Cultured on Bone” for publication in the Journal of the Royal Society Interfac

Study of Osteoclast Adhesion to Cortical Bone Surfaces: A Correlative Microscopy Approach for Concomitant Imaging of Cellular Dynamics and Surface Modifications

Bone remodeling relies on the coordinated functioning of osteoblasts, bone-forming cells, and osteoclasts, bone-resorbing cells. The effects of specific chemical and physical bone features on the osteoclast adhesive apparatus, the sealing zone ring, and their relation to resorption functionality are still not well-understood. We designed and implemented a correlative imaging method that enables monitoring of the same area of bone surface by time-lapse light microscopy, electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy before, during, and after exposure to osteoclasts. We show that sealing zone rings preferentially develop around surface protrusions, with lateral dimensions of several micrometers, and ∼1 μm height. Direct overlay of sealing zone rings onto resorption pits on the bone surface shows that the rings adapt to pit morphology. The correlative procedure presented here is noninvasive and performed under ambient conditions, without the need for sample labeling. It can potentially be applied to study various aspects of cell-matrix interactions

An Asymmetrically Balanced Organization of Kinases versus Phosphatases across Eukaryotes Determines Their Distinct Impacts

<div><p>Protein phosphorylation underlies cellular response pathways across eukaryotes and is governed by the opposing actions of phosphorylating kinases and de-phosphorylating phosphatases. While kinases and phosphatases have been extensively studied, their organization and the mechanisms by which they balance each other are not well understood. To address these questions we performed quantitative analyses of large-scale 'omics' datasets from yeast, fly, plant, mouse and human. We uncovered an asymmetric balance of a previously-hidden scale: Each organism contained many different kinase genes, and these were balanced by a small set of highly abundant phosphatase proteins. Kinases were much more responsive to perturbations at the gene and protein levels. In addition, kinases had diverse scales of phenotypic impact when manipulated. Phosphatases, in contrast, were stable, highly robust and flatly organized, with rather uniform impact downstream. We validated aspects of this organization experimentally in nematode, and supported additional aspects by theoretic analysis of the dynamics of protein phosphorylation. Our analyses explain the empirical bias in the protein phosphorylation field toward characterization and therapeutic targeting of kinases at the expense of phosphatases. We show quantitatively and broadly that this is not only a historical bias, but stems from wide-ranging differences in their organization and impact. The asymmetric balance between these opposing regulators of protein phosphorylation is also common to opposing regulators of two other post-translational modification systems, suggesting its fundamental value.</p></div