The effects of Triclosan on the metabolism of developing Sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) larvae

The aquatic environment represents the final sink for many chemicals, including bactericidal agents. Among them Triclosan (TCS) has been shown to affect the thyroid system of teleost. Thyroid hormones are involved in the control of metabolism, so changes in hormone levels induced by triclosan may affect respiratory rates and antioxidant stress in exposed fish. Couples of three females and two males were placed in breeding chambers designed for this experiment. Eggs were collected and maintained in seawater. Embryos were selected under a dissection microscope, randomly assigned to each of five treatment groups: Control, DMSO control, 20 μg/L TCS, 50 μg/L TCS and 100 μg/L TCS and placed in incubation dishes (50 per dish) at 25°C. On day 6, embryos hatched and larvae were transferred to 1L dishes. The larvae were fed on artemias and on flaked fish food till day 15 and 30 post hatching when the fish were analyzed. Respiratory rate measurements were carried out by respirometry and assays of antioxidant enzymes, Glutathionreductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were conducted to determine the presence of oxidative stress. Respirometry showed that TCS exposed fish exhibited decreased the metabolism at 15 dph, whereas no differences in respiration rate could be observed between control and exposed larvae at 30 dph. At 15 dph no difference was observed for any of the antioxidant enzymes, whereas at 30 dph a sharp increase in the activity of GR was observed between the control and TCS exposed fish. The activity of GST and Gpx remained stable. Thyroid hormones are major factors controlling the metabolic rate related to respiration and oxidative stress. TCS reduced the metabolism at 15 dph that corresponds to the moment where larvae to juvenile transition of Sheepshead minnows occur. Previous experiments showed that TCS induces an increase in thyroid hormone concentrations and hyperthyroidism induces oxidative stress. So our observed increase of antioxidant protection mechanisms could be a way to compensate oxidative stress. On the other hand, the changes in GR activity observed at 30 dph, may also be related to the reduced metabolism at 15 dph

Plant N Fluxes and Modulation by Nitrogen, Heat and Water Stresses: A Review Based on Comparison of Legumes and Non Legume Plants

Chapter 5International audienc

0272: Unfractionated heparin addition during percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndrome patients previously treated with enoxaparin: biological impact

BackgroundThe benefit of anticoagulants (AC) to prevent thrombotic complications during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is well established. In acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients previously treated with enoxaparin, an additional bolus of AC is not recommended if the last injection was realized within 8 h. In this setting, many interventional cardiologists use unfractionated heparin (UFH) at the time of sheath insertion.ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to describe local current practices for AC use during PCI in patients already treated with enoxaparin and admitted for ACS and to assess the biological impact of UFH addition at the beginning of the procedure.MethodsA standardized survey was sent to the interventional cardiologists of the southwest of France to investigate their practice in terms of periprocedural AC use. In 2 centers, ACS patients previously treated with subcutaneous injection of enoxaparin within 8 h and who received intravenous UFH at the time of sheath insertion were prospectively included and their plasma anti-Xa activity was assessed at the sheath insertion and 30 min after UFH bolus. In-hospital bleeding and ischemic events were collected. The adequate therapeutic window was defined by anti Xa activity (range 0.5 to 0.9 IU/mL). Results: Among the 41 interventional cardiologists who replied, a large majority (75,6%) considered the addition of UFH in patients who received enoxaparin within 8 h as a valid option. 47 ACS patients were enrolled. The dose of the bolus of UFH was highly variable from 20 to 90 UI / kg. Anti-Xa activities were above 0.9 IU/mL in 14,9% of patients at the sheath insertion and in 72,3% of patients 30 min after UFH injection. 2 bleeding complications occurred, both in over-coagulated patients. No ischemic events were reported.ConclusionThe use of UFH in patients who already received enoxaparin may result in over-anticoagulation and lead to bleeding complications

DNA methylation in adults and during development of the self-fertilizing mangrove rivulus, Kryptolebias marmoratus

In addition to genetic variation, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation might make important contributions to heritable phenotypic diversity in populations. However, it is often difficult to disentangle the contributions of genetic and epigenetic variation to phenotypic diversity. Here, we investigated global DNA methylation and mRNA expression of the methylation-associated enzymes during embryonic development and in adult tissues of one natural isogenic lineage of mangrove rivulus fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus. Being the best-known self-fertilizing hermaphroditic vertebrate affords the opportunity to work with genetically identical individuals to examine, explicitly, the phenotypic effects of epigenetic variance. Using the LUminometric Methylation Assay (LUMA), we described variable global DNA methylation at CpG sites in adult tissues, which differed significantly between hermaphrodite ovotestes and male testes (79.6% and 87.2%, respectively). After fertilization, an immediate decrease in DNA methylation occurred to 15.8% in gastrula followed by re-establishment to 70.0% by stage 26 (liver formation). Compared to zebrafish, at the same embryonic stages, this reprogramming event seems later, deeper, and longer. Furthermore, genes putatively encoding DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET), and MeCP2 proteins showed specific regulation in adult gonad and brain, and also during early embryogenesis. Their conserved domains and expression profiles suggest that these proteins play important roles during reproduction and development. This study raises questions about mangrove rivulus' peculiar reprogramming period in terms of epigenetic transmission and physiological adaptation of individuals to highly variable environments. In accordance with the general-purpose genotype model, epigenetic mechanisms might allow for the expression of diverse phenotypes among genetically identical individuals. Such phenotypes might help to overcome environmental challenges, making the mangrove rivulus a valuable vertebrate model for ecological epigenetic studies. The mangrove rivulus, Kryptolebias marmoratus, is the best-known self-fertilizing hermaphroditic vertebrate that allows to work with genetically identical individuals to examine, explicitly, the phenotypic effects of epigenetic variance. The reprogramming event is later, more dramatic and longer than in other described vertebrates. High evolutionary conservation and expression patterns of DNMT, TET, and MeCP2 proteins in K. marmoratus suggest biological roles for each member in gametogenesis and development

The Wnt Receptor Ryk Reduces Neuronal and Cell Survival Capacity by Repressing FOXO Activity During the Early Phases of Mutant Huntingtin Pathogenicity

The Wnt receptor Ryk is an evolutionary-conserved protein important during neuronal differentiation through several mechanisms, including γ-secretase cleavage and nuclear translocation of its intracellular domain (Ryk-ICD). Although the Wnt pathway may be neuroprotective, the role of Ryk in neurodegenerative disease remains unknown. We found that Ryk is up-regulated in neurons expressing mutant huntingtin (HTT) in several models of Huntington's disease (HD). Further investigation in Caenorhabditis elegans and mouse striatal cell models of HD provided a model in which the early-stage increase of Ryk promotes neuronal dysfunction by repressing the neuroprotective activity of the longevity-promoting factor FOXO through a noncanonical mechanism that implicates the Ryk-ICD fragment and its binding to the FOXO co-factor β-catenin. The Ryk-ICD fragment suppressed neuroprotection by lin-18/Ryk loss-of-function in expanded-polyQ nematodes, repressed FOXO transcriptional activity, and abolished β-catenin protection of mutant htt striatal cells against cell death vulnerability. Additionally, Ryk-ICD was increased in the nucleus of mutant htt cells, and reducing γ-secretase PS1 levels compensated for the cytotoxicity of full-length Ryk in these cells. These findings reveal that the Ryk-ICD pathway may impair FOXO protective activity in mutant polyglutamine neurons, suggesting that neurons are unable to efficiently maintain function and resist disease from the earliest phases of the pathogenic process in HD. © 2014 Tourette et al

Detection chain and electronic readout of the QUBIC instrument

The Q and U Bolometric Interferometer for Cosmology (QUBIC) Technical Demonstrator (TD) aiming to shows the feasibility of the combination of interferometry and bolometric detection. The electronic readout system is based on an array of 128 NbSi Transition Edge Sensors cooled at 350mK readout with 128 SQUIDs at 1K controlled and amplified by an Application Specific Integrated Circuit at 40K. This readout design allows a 128:1 Time Domain Multiplexing. We report the design and the performance of the detection chain in this paper. The technological demonstrator unwent a campaign of test in the lab. Evaluation of the QUBIC bolometers and readout electronics includes the measurement of I-V curves, time constant and the Noise Equivalent Power. Currently the mean Noise Equivalent Power is ~ 2 x 10⁻¹⁶ W/√Hz

Detection chain and electronic readout of the QUBIC instrument

The Q and U Bolometric Interferometer for Cosmology (QUBIC) Technical Demonstrator (TD) aiming to shows the feasibility of the combination of interferometry and bolometric detection. The electronic readout system is based on an array of 128 NbSi Transition Edge Sensors cooled at 350mK readout with 128 SQUIDs at 1K controlled and amplified by an Application Specific Integrated Circuit at 40K. This readout design allows a 128:1 Time Domain Multiplexing. We report the design and the performance of the detection chain in this paper. The technological demonstrator unwent a campaign of test in the lab. Evaluation of the QUBIC bolometers and readout electronics includes the measurement of I-V curves, time constant and the Noise Equivalent Power. Currently the mean Noise Equivalent Power is ~ 2 x 10⁻¹⁶ W/√Hz