MAPPING OF EXISTING MARICULTURE ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH-EAST SULAWESI “POTENTIAL, CURRENT AND FUTURE STATUS”

The present study identifies existing mariculture activities and its constraints in SE Sulawesi, along with its geo-physical attributes in the Province.This allows for a better understanding the potential, current and future status of mariculture development in the area and making sure its sustainability. The study was conducted to map the existing mariculture activities in SE Sulawesi. Data collection was performed in June 2009. Spatial and attribute data of the existing mariculture were acquired by interviewing fish farmer using open-ended questionnaire and analyzed using ArcGIS 9.x. Key water quality parameters consisted of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, depth, clarity, and turbidity and analyzed using STORET Indeks. Three big clusters of existing mariculture activities are located in Kendari, Muna and Buton areas, collectively serving as both a source of mariculture products and a market destination or transit location. All surveyed locations of existing mariculture activities in SE Sulawesi show relatively optimal water quality conditions. Site capacity and suitability analysis of existing or potential areas of mariculture activities and development have largely not been considered by stakeholders involved in managing coastal areas, resulting in crowded and unmanaged development with multiple overlapping economic activities in some areas. Piloting of integrated ‘value-adding’ mariculture industries (e.g. raw material, processed products and ‘ready to eat’ industries) might help ease some if not all of the existing economic problems of the mariculture sector

Efeitos antiangiogênicos in vivo convalidam a atividade antineoplásica potencial do metiljasmonato

Molecular plant components have long been aimed at the angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis pathways, and have been tested as sources for antineoplasic drugs with promising success. The present work deals with the anti-angiogenic effects of Methyl Jasmonate. Jasmonate derivatives were demonstrated to selectively damage the mitochondria of cancer cells. In vitro, 1-10 mM Methyl Jasmonate induced the cell death of the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and the Murine melanoma cells (B16F10), while micromolar concentrations were ineffective. In vivo, comparable concentrations were toxic and reduced the vessel density of the Chorioallantoic Membrane of the Chicken Embryo (CAM). However, 1-10 µM concentrations produced a complex effect. There was increased capillary budding, but the new vessels were leakier and less organised than corresponding controls. It is suggested that not only direct toxicity, but also the drug effects upon angiogenesis are relevant to the antineoplasic effects of Methyl Jasmonate.Moléculas de origem vegetal são, há muito, conhecidas como substâncias ativas sobre as vias de angiogênese e antiangiogênese e foram testadas como fonte de drogas antineoplásicas com sucesso promissor. Este trabalho trata dos efeitos antiangiogênicos do Metiljasmonato, um protótipo da família dos derivados do ácido jasmônico, que danificam seletivamente a mitocôndria de células neoplásicas. In vitro, metiljasmonato 1-10 mM promoveu a morte celular de células endoteliais humanas de cordão umbilical (HUVEC) e de melanoma murino (B16F10); concentrações micromolares foram inócuas. In vivo, concentrações equivalentes foram tóxicas e reduziram a densidade de vasos em membranas corioalantoicas de embrião de galinha (CAM). Entretanto, concentrações entre 1-10 µM produziram um efeito complexo. Ocorreu aumento no brotamento capilar, mas os novos vasos apresentaram-se frágeis e menos organizados que os controles correspondentes. Sugere-se que, além da toxicidade direta contra as células tumorais, a ação do metiljasmonato sobre a angiogênese seja relevante para seu efeito antineoplásico

The Entropy for General Extremal Black Holes

We use the Kerr/CFT correspondence to calculate the entropy for all known extremal stationary and axisymmetric black holes. This is done with the help of two ansatzs that are general enough to cover all such known solutions. Considering only the contribution from the Einstein-Hilbert action to the central charge(s), we find that the entropy obtained by using Cardy's formula exactly matches with the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy.Comment: Minor corrections, section 5 refined, references added

Hemodynamic effects of local anesthetics intoxication. Experimental study in swine with levobupivacaine and bupivacaine

Purpose: To compare the hemodynamic repercussions following a toxic dose of levobupivacaine and bupivacaine intravascularly injected in swines. Methods: Large White pigs were anesthetized with thiopental, tracheal intubation was performed and mechanical ventilation was instituted. Hemodynamic variables were recorded with invasive pressure monitoring and pulmonary artery catheterization (Swan-Ganz catheter). After a 30-minute resting period, the animals were randomly divided into two groups in a double-blinded fashion and received a bolus injection of 4 mg/kg of either agent for intoxication. Hemodynamic results were then evaluated at 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes. Results: Levobupivacaine had greater hemodynamic repercussions than racemic bupivacaine. These results disagree with those found when the levorotatory isomer of bupivacaine was used in humans, but are in agreement with recently reported findings in animals. Conclusion: Levobupivacaine was shown to be more toxic in pigs than racemic bupivacaine when large doses are injected intravenously.231556

Mycolactone Diffuses into the Peripheral Blood of Buruli Ulcer Patients - Implications for Diagnosis and Disease Monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU), is unique among human pathogens in its capacity to produce a polyketide-derived macrolide called mycolactone, making this molecule an attractive candidate target for diagnosis and disease monitoring. Whether mycolactone diffuses from ulcerated lesions in clinically accessible samples and is modulated by antibiotic therapy remained to be established. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: Peripheral blood and ulcer exudates were sampled from patients at various stages of antibiotic therapy in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Total lipids were extracted from serum, white cell pellets and ulcer exudates with organic solvents. The presence of mycolactone in these extracts was then analyzed by a recently published, field-friendly method using thin layer chromatography and fluorescence detection. This approach did not allow us to detect mycolactone accurately, because of a high background due to co-extracted human lipids. We thus used a previously established approach based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. By this means, we could identify structurally intact mycolactone in ulcer exudates and serum of patients, and evaluate the impact of antibiotic treatment on the concentration of mycolactone. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study provides the proof of concept that assays based on mycolactone detection in serum and ulcer exudates can form the basis of BU diagnostic tests. However, the identification of mycolactone required a technology that is not compatible with field conditions and point-of-care assays for mycolactone detection remain to be worked out. Notably, we found mycolactone in ulcer exudates harvested at the end of antibiotic therapy, suggesting that the toxin is eliminated by BU patients at a slow rate. Our results also indicated that mycolactone titres in the serum may reflect a positive response to antibiotics, a possibility that it will be interesting to examine further through longitudinal studies

VLP-Based COVID-19 Vaccines: An Adaptable Technology against the Threat of New Variants.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are a versatile, safe, and highly immunogenic vaccine platform. Recently, there are developmental vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic affected humanity worldwide, bringing out incomputable human and financial losses. The race for better, more efficacious vaccines is happening almost simultaneously as the virus increasingly produces variants of concern (VOCs). The VOCs Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta share common mutations mainly in the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), demonstrating convergent evolution, associated with increased transmissibility and immune evasion. Thus, the identification and understanding of these mutations is crucial for the production of new, optimized vaccines. The use of a very flexible vaccine platform in COVID-19 vaccine development is an important feature that cannot be ignored. Incorporating the spike protein and its variations into VLP vaccines is a desirable strategy as the morphology and size of VLPs allows for better presentation of several different antigens. Furthermore, VLPs elicit robust humoral and cellular immune responses, which are safe, and have been studied not only against SARS-CoV-2 but against other coronaviruses as well. Here, we describe the recent advances and improvements in vaccine development using VLP technology