Size spectra of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the western North Pacific during May : A comparison between subarctic and transitional domains

Size spectra data from marine phytoplankton and zooplankton can provide deep insights into material transfer in lower trophic levels. In this study, we quantified size spectra data of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the subarctic (SA) and transitional (TR) domains in the western North Pacific during May 2023. Phytoplankton and zooplankton data were obtained using FlowCam and ZooScan imaging instruments, respectively. Significantly normalized biovolume size spectra (NBSS) were detected for all samples in both taxa. There were no regional differences in abundance or biovolume. A large regional pattern was detected for the size spectra of phytoplankton at the sea surface. In samples from the TR, the mean biovolume per cell was larger, the slope of NBSS was flatter, and the size diversity was higher than in those in the SA. The NBSS slope and size diversity both showed higher variation in phytoplankton than in zooplankton. Based on the combination of phytoplankton and zooplankton at the same station, NBSS covering the whole planktonic size range are presented. In both taxa, a large discrepancy, e.g., missing NBSS area, was present from 10-5 to 10-1 mm3 ind.-1 in the biovolume. Methods to fill this gap in future studies are discussed

Surgical intervention for left main compression syndrome due to severe secondary pulmonary hypertension

A 51-year-old man presented with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction due to extrinsic compression of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) caused by a dilated pulmonary artery (PA) with secondary pulmonary hypertension and was successfully treated with surgical intervention including pulmonary angioplasty, atrial septal defect correction, and thromboendarterectomy. Imaging modalities were extremely useful in making the diagnosis and providing follow-up of LMCA compression syndrome in this case. During the follow-up, a sufficient hemodynamic improvement was obtained, without exacerbation of the PA dilatation, resulting in the absence of compression of the LMCA

TGF-β and TGF-β/Smad signaling in the interactions between Echinococcus multilocularis and its hosts.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is characterized by the development of irreversible fibrosis and of immune tolerance towards Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis). Very little is known on the presence of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and other components of TGF-β/Smad pathway in the liver, and on their possible influence on fibrosis, over the various stages of infection. Using Western Blot, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, we measured the levels of TGF-β1, TGF-β receptors, and down-stream Smads activation, as well as fibrosis marker expression in both a murine AE model from day 2 to 360 post-infection (p.i.) and in AE patients. TGF-β1, its receptors, and down-stream Smads were markedly expressed in the periparasitic infiltrate and also in the hepatocytes, close to and distant from AE lesions. Fibrosis was significant at 180 days p.i. in the periparasitic infiltrate and was also present in the liver parenchyma, even distant from the lesions. Over the time course after infection TGF-β1 expression was correlated with CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio long described as a hallmark of AE severity. The time course of the various actors of the TGF-β/Smad system in the in vivo mouse model as well as down-regulation of Smad7 in liver areas close to the lesions in human cases highly suggest that TGF-β plays an important role in AE both in immune tolerance against the parasite and in liver fibrosis