Cognitive outcome and gamma noise power unrelated to neuregulin 1 and 3 variation in schizophrenia

Background Neuregulins are a family of signalling proteins that orchestrate a broad range of cellular responses. Four genes encoding Neuregulins 1–4 have been identified so far in vertebrates. Among them, Neuregulin 1 and Neuregulin 3 have been reported to contribute to an increased risk for developing schizophrenia. We hypothesized that three specific variants of these genes (rs6994992 and rs3924999 for Neuregulin 1 and rs10748842 for Neuregulin 3) that have been related to this illness may modify information processing capacity in the cortex, which would be reflected in electrophysiological parameters (P3b amplitude or gamma noise power) and/or cognitive performance. Methods We obtained DNA from 31 patients with schizophrenia and 23 healthy controls and analyzed NRG1 rs6994992, NRG1 rs3924999 and NRG3 rs10748842 promoter polymorphisms by allelic discrimination with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We compared cognitive outcome, P300 amplitude parameters and an electroencephalographic measure of noise power in the gamma band between the groups dichotomized according to genotype. Results Contrary to our hypothesis, we could not detect any significant influence of variation in Neuregulin 1/Neuregulin 3 polymorphisms on cognitive performance or electrophysiological parameters of patients with schizophrenia. Conclusions Despite our findings, we cannot discard that other genetic variants and, more likely, interactions between those variants and with genetic variation related to different pathways may still influence cerebral processing in schizophrenia

Larvae of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Balearic Archipelago (NW Mediterranean Sea)

The invasive blue crab Callinectes sapidus has been frequently recorded during the last years along the NW Mediterranean Sea, leading to established populations. Two megalopae of C. sapidus were found during two different oceanographic surveys in open waters of the Balearic Archipelago, in July 2005 and October 2011, previous to the first reference of adult specimens documented in the Balearic sub-basin. The analyzed environmental conditions of the sampling periods allowed us to hypothesize the likely introduction pathways, namely by maritime transport and surface currents. Furthermore, the recorded megalopae seem to enlarge the life history of C. sapidus in regard to its native area, where spawning peaks occur in late July and early August.Versión del editor

Back to the future: restoring historical communities

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Distribution and biogeographic trends of decapod assemblages from Galicia Bank (NE Atlantic) at depths between 700 and 1800m, with connexions to regional water masses

The GaliciaBank(NEAtlantic,42167′N–11174′W) isanisolatedseamount,nearNWSpain,acomplex geomorphological andsedimentarystructurethatreceivesinfluences fromcontrastingwatermassesof both northernandsouthernorigins.WithintheprojectINDEMARES,threecruiseswereperformedon the bankin2009(Ecomarg0709),2010(BanGal0810)and2011(BanGal0811)allinJuly–August. Decapods andothermacrobenthiccrustaceans(eucaridsandperacarids)werecollectedwithdifferent sampling systems,mainlybeamtrawls(BT,10mmofmeshsizeatcodend)andaGOC73ottertrawl (20 mmmeshsize).Sixty-sevenspeciesofdecapodcrustaceans,6euphausiids,19peracaridsand 1 ostracodwerecollectedatdepthsbetween744and1808m.Wefoundtwonewspecies,oneamember of theChirostylidae, Uroptychuscartesi Baba &Macpherson,2012,theotherofthePetalophthalmidae (Mysida) Petalophthalmus sp. A,inadditiontoanumberofnewbiogeographicspeciesrecordsfor European orIberianwaters.Ananalysisofassemblagesshowedageneralizedspeciesrenewalwith depth, withdifferentassemblagesbetween744and ca. 1400m(theseamounttopassemblage,STA)and between ca. 1500and1800m(thedeep-slopeassemblageoverseamount flanks,DSA).Thesewere respectivelyassociatedwithMediterraneanoutflow waters(MOW)andwithLabradorSeaWater(LSW). Another significant factorseparatingdifferentassemblagesovertheGalicianBankwastheco-occurrence of corals(bothcoloniesofhardcoralssuchas Lophelia pertusa and Madreporaoculata and/or gorgonians) in hauls.Munidopsids(Munidopsis spp.), chirostylids(Uroptychus spp.), andthehomolodromiid Dicranodromiamahieuxii formed apartofthiscoral-associatedassemblage.Dominantspeciesatthe STAwerethepandalid Plesionika martia (a shrimpofsubtropical-southerndistribution)andthecrabs Bathynectes maravigna and Polybiushenslowii, whereasdominantspeciesintheDSAwereofnorthern origin, thelithodid Neolithodes grimaldii and thecrangonid Glyphocrangonlongiristris, likelyassociated with LSW.Thediversity(H and J) ofsmallcrustaceans(collectedwithBT)seemedtobecontrolledbythe phytoplanktonblooms(satelliteChl a data) overbanksurface3monthsbeforethesamplings,bothatthe top (Spearman r¼0.57, p¼0.03) andonthe flanks (r¼0.74, p¼0.02) ofGaliciaBank,whilenosignificant relationships withChl a werefoundforthelargerdecapodscollectedwithGOC73,onaveragetheyfeed at thehighertrophiclevelsthanthosecollectedwithBT.Postprin

First faunistic results on Valencia (Cresques) Seamount, with some ecological considerations

The living and dead fauna of Valencia Seamount, a deep promontory in the middle of the Balearic Basin which summit is at ca. 1100m depth, is described by first time based in a rock dredge perfomed in a sedimentary area of the summit Mount. Surface-feeder polychaetes (the Paraonidae Levinsenia gracilis and Terebellidae as dominant), and taxodont bivalves (Ledella messanensis and Yoldiella ovulum) were the main species of benthos. We found alive remains of the bamboo coral Isidella elongata, a vulnerable, habitat-forming species in the deep Mediterranean. Benthos density was low (0.6 organisms/2 dm3 mud). Thanatocoenosis evidenced a rather moderate diversity on benthic bivalves (11 species) and gastropods (9 species) also dominated by surface deposit feeders. Fish (identified/ quantified from sedimented otoliths) showed diversified and abundant mesopelagic fauna, mainly Myctophidae. More interestingly, we highlighted among benthopelagic fish the occurrence of recruits of Merluccius merluccius, Micromesistius poutassou, or Hymenocephalus italicus, all species that live in the neighboring slopes of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands at quite shallower depths (at 100-700 m) than their distribution in the Valencia Seamount summit (1102–1130 m) based on the deposited otoliths found. Some ecological aspects were discussed and the necessity to consider the deep Valencia Seamount as a potential area that should be under protection.En prensa

Epibenthic communities of sedimentary habitats in a NE Atlantic deep seamount (Galicia Bank)

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A coding variant of ANO10, affecting volume regulation of macrophages, is associated with Borrelia seropositivity

In a first genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach to anti-Borrelia seropositivity, we identified two significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs17850869, P = 4.17E-09; rs41289586, P = 7.18E-08). Both markers, located on chromosomes 16 and 3, respectively, are within or close to genes previously connected to spinocerebellar ataxia. The risk SNP rs41289586 represents a missense variant (R263H) of anoctamin 10 (ANO10), a member of a protein family encoding Cl(−) channels and phospholipid scram-blases. ANO10 augments volume-regulated Cl(−) currents (I(Hypo)) in Xenopus oocytes, HEK293 cells, lymphocytes and macrophages and controls volume regulation by enhancing regulatory volume decrease (RVD). ANO10 supports migration of macrophages and phagocytosis of spirochetes. The R263H variant is inhibitory on I(Hypo), RVD and intracellular Ca(2+) signals, which may delay spirochete clearance, thereby sensitizing adaptive immunity. Our data demonstrate for the first time that ANO10 has a central role in innate immune defense against Borrelia infection

Psychometric precision in phenotype definition is a useful step in molecular genetic investigation of psychiatric disorders

Affective disorders are highly heritable, but few genetic risk variants have been consistently replicated in molecular genetic association studies. The common method of defining psychiatric phenotypes in molecular genetic research is either a summation of symptom scores or binary threshold score representing the risk of diagnosis. Psychometric latent variable methods can improve the precision of psychiatric phenotypes, especially when the data structure is not straightforward. Using data from the British 1946 birth cohort, we compared summary scores with psychometric modeling based on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) scale for affective symptoms in an association analysis of 27 candidate genes (249 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)). The psychometric method utilized a bi-factor model that partitioned the phenotype variances into five orthogonal latent variable factors, in accordance with the multidimensional data structure of the GHQ-28 involving somatic, social, anxiety and depression domains. Results showed that, compared with the summation approach, the affective symptoms defined by the bi-factor psychometric model had a higher number of associated SNPs of larger effect sizes. These results suggest that psychometrically defined mental health phenotypes can reflect the dimensions of complex phenotypes better than summation scores, and therefore offer a useful approach in genetic association investigations

Rapid rotational foam molding of integral skin polypropylene cellular composites

Rapid Rotational Foam Molding (RRFM) is a novel patent-pending process that was designed and developed to maximize the synergistic effects resulting from the deliberate combination of extrusion and rotational foam molding and thereby serve as a time-andenergy efficient technology for the manufacture of integral-skin rotationally molded foams of high quality. This thesis presents a thorough study of the scientific and engineering aspects related to the evolution of the RRFM process and its feasibility. This innovative processing technology was assessed and verified through a battery of planned experimental trials conducted utilizing an in-house custom-built industrial-grade lab-scale experimental setup. The experimental trials involved a variety of polypropylene (PP)- based foamable formulations with a chemical blowing agent (CBA) that were compounded and processed by utilizing an extruder and then foamed and injected as a foamed core, instantly, into the cavity of a suitable non-chilled rotationally molded hollow shell made of non-foamed pulverized PP grades. The investigated mold shapes included a cylindrical shaped mold and a rectangular flat shaped mold. The obtained moldings were examined for the quality of the skin surface, the skin-foam interface, and the achieved foam morphologies that were characterized in terms of foam density, average cell size, and average cell density. Optimal processing parameters were successfully determined for three different PP skin-foam formulation combinations. The accomplished reduction in processing time and energy consumption by implementing RRFM were substantial. A variety of processing impediments that hindered the efficiency of the single-charge conventional rotational foam molding practice were resolved by implementing RRFM; these include: the foam/skin invasion into the skin/foam layer of the manufactured article and the premature decomposition of CBA during compounding or subsequent rotational foam molding processing steps

Toward sustainable environmental quality : priority research questions for Europe

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals have been established to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals will require a healthy and productive environment. An understanding of the impacts of chemicals which can negatively impact environmental health is therefore essential to the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, current research on and regulation of chemicals in the environment tend to take a simplistic view and do not account for the complexity of the real world, which inhibits the way we manage chemicals. There is therefore an urgent need for a step change in the way we study and communicate the impacts and control of chemicals in the natural environment. To do this requires the major research questions to be identified so that resources are focused on questions that really matter. We present the findings of a horizon-scanning exercise to identify research priorities of the European environmental science community around chemicals in the environment. Using the key questions approach, we identified 22 questions of priority. These questions covered overarching questions about which chemicals we should be most concerned about and where, impacts of global megatrends, protection goals, and sustainability of chemicals; the development and parameterization of assessment and management frameworks; and mechanisms to maximize the impact of the research. The research questions identified provide a first-step in the path forward for the research, regulatory, and business communities to better assess and manage chemicals in the natural environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;9999:1-15