Abildtrupmcgregor2109

55%). While the distance to relatively big ports influenced directly species richness, the intensity of maritime traffic measured as boat density near sampling points was significantly associated with the frequency of exotic species. Other environmental factors did not show significant correlation with the frequency of exotics, suggesting that in an environment without big discontinuities, with little habitat modification, local boat traffic is the most influential factor in the spread of exotic species. This could be mitigated relatively easily by reducing boat density in local zones of ecological interest.Liver and gonad histopathology, biometric parameters and hepatic metal bioaccumulation were assessed monthly over a one-year period in common soles from the Basque continental shelf, in order to determine baseline levels and confounding factors within biomonitoring studies. Biometric parameters and hepatic metal bioaccumulation varied according to season and gender. Accordingly, hepatic histopathological traits presented seasonal variations related to the reproductive cycle. However, the hepatic histopathological index showed that seasonality and gender were not significant confounding factors. find more Conversely, the gonad histopathological index was modulated by season and gender. As for organ comparison, the liver endured more severe histopathological damage than the gonad. In brief, the sampling period and gender may not affect the estimation of hepatic histopathological indices for biomonitoring purposes. Nonetheless, due to different sensitivities to environmental 'noise' variables, the sampling period and gender differentiation should be thoroughly considered for the assessment of gonad histopathology, biometrics and metal bioaccumulation.Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are key for xenobiotic detoxification at the molecular level across phyla. These enzymes are therefore likely to be part of the defence mechanisms used by marine organisms, such as mussels, that thrive in highly polluted environments. Taking this hypothesis into account, we used proteomics to characterize the profile of GSTs from the gills of marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in order to discriminate natural mussel populations exposed to different levels of pollution. Samples were collected between Cabo Home (Spain) and Matosinhos (Portugal) covering a north-south transect of approximately 122 Km of the Atlantic Ocean along the Western Coast of the Iberian Peninsula. GSTs from mussel gills were extracted and purified by affinity chromatography with glutathione as the binding substrate to the solid medium. We studied the abundance of GST isoforms by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and assessed total activity. Eleven putative individual GSTs from classes Mu, Pi and Sigma were identified by proteomics. Few variations were observed in total GST activity of post-mitochondrial samples between sampling sites, with animals from Matosinhos (polluted site) showing highest GST activity and Cabo Home (clean site) showing lowest. This contrasts with the increased number of differences in the individual GST isoforms. Each mussel population showed unique GST proteomic profiles. Based on the results we conclude that proteomics surpasses the conventional GST enzymatic activity method to discriminate natural mussel populations and has potential application in environmental monitoring. It is reasonable to suggest that the GST proteomic profiles observed may reflect differences in contamination levels.Catenation is the process by which cyclic strands are combined like the links of a chain, whereas knotting changes the linking properties of a single strand. In the cell, topoisomerases catalyzing strand passage operations enable the knotting and catenation of DNA so that single- or double-stranded segments can be passed through each other. Here, we use a system of closed DNA structures involving a paranemic motif, called PX-DNA, to bind double strands of DNA together. These PX-cohesive closed molecules contain complementary loops whose linking by Escherichia coli topoisomerase 1 (Topo 1) leads to various types of catenated and knotted structures. We were able to obtain specific DNA topological constructs by varying the lengths of the complementary tracts between the complementary loops. The formation of the structures was analyzed by denaturing gel electrophoresis, and the various topologies of the constructs were characterized using the program Knotilus.

Large laterally spreading lesions (LSL) in the colon and rectum can be safely and effectively removed by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). However, many patients still undergo surgery. Endoscopic treatment may be more cost effective. We compared the costs of endoscopic versus surgical management of large LSL.

We performed a prospective, observational, multicenter study of consecutive patients referred to 1 of 7 academic hospitals in Australia for the management of large LSL (≥ 20 mm) from January 2010 to December 2013. We collected data on numbers of patients undergoing EMR, actual endoscopic management costs (index colonoscopy, hospital stay, adverse events, and first surveillance colonoscopy), characteristics of patients and lesions, outcomes, and adverse events, and findings from follow-up examinations 14 days, 4-6 months, and 16-18 months after treatment. We compared data from patients who underwent EMR with those from a model in which all patients underwent surgery without any complications. Event- and resourced tertiary center should be considered the first line of therapy for most patients with this disorder. This approach is likely to deliver substantial overall health expenditure savings. ClinicalTrials.gov, Number NCT01368289.

In a large multicenter study, endoscopic management of large LSL by EMR was significantly more cost-effective than surgery. Endoscopic management by EMR at an appropriately experienced and resourced tertiary center should be considered the first line of therapy for most patients with this disorder. This approach is likely to deliver substantial overall health expenditure savings. ClinicalTrials.gov, Number NCT01368289.Patients with psoriasis, in particular those with severe disease, have an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events compared with the general population. The aim of the present study is to determine whether correlation between asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), two biomarkers associated with CV disease, and disease severity may exist in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. We also aimed to establish if baseline serum levels of these two biomarkers could correlate with the degree of change in the clinical parameters of disease severity following the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α therapy in these patients. This was a prospective study on a series of consecutive non-diabetic patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis who completed 6 months of therapy with anti-TNF-α-adalimumab. Patients with kidney disease, hypertension or body mass index of 35 kg/m(2) or more were excluded. Metabolic and clinical evaluation was performed immediately prior to the onset of treatment and at month 6. Twenty-nine patients were assessed. Unlike OPG, a significant positive correlation between ADMA and resistin serum levels was found at the onset of adalimumab and also after 6 months of biologic therapy. We also observed a positive correlation between the percent of body surface area affected (BSA) and ADMA levels obtained before the onset of adalimumab and a negative correlation between baseline ADMA levels and a 6-month BSA change compared with baseline results. In patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, ADMA levels correlate with clinical markers of disease severity.Accurate calculations of nuclear magnetic shieldings of group-11 metal halides, σ(M; MX) (M = Cu, Ag, Au; X = H, F, Cl, Br, I), were performed with relativistic and nonrelativistic theoretical schemes in order to learn more about the importance of the involved electronic mechanisms that underlie such shieldings. We applied state of the art schemes polarization propagators at a random phase level of approach (PP-RPA); spin-free Hamiltonian (SF); linear response elimination of small component (LRESC) and density functional theory (DFT) with two different functionals B3LYP and PBE0. The results from DFT calculations are not close to those from the relativistic polarization propagator calculations at the RPA level of approach (RelPP-RPA), in line with previous results. The spin-orbit (SO) contribution to a shielding constant is important only for MF molecules (M = Cu, Ag, Au). Different electronic mechanisms are considered within the LRESC method, bunched into two groups core- and ligand-dependent. For the analysed shieldings the core-dependent electronic mechanisms are the most important ones; the ligand-dependent being only important for MF molecules. An out of range value for σ(Au) is found in AuF. It was previously reported in the literature, either originated in the large fluorine electronegativity together with large spin-orbit coupling contributions; or, due to Fermi-contact contributions. We argue here that such an unexpected large value is an artifact originated in the appearance of quasi instabilities, and show how to handle this apparent problem.Single scan longitudinal relaxation measurement experiments enable rapid estimation of the spin-lattice relaxation time (T1 ) as the time series of spin relaxation is encoded spatially in the sample at different slices resulting in an order of magnitude saving in time. We consider here a single scan inversion recovery pulse sequence that incorporates a gradient echo sequence. The proposed pulse sequence provides spectra with significantly enhanced signal to noise ratio leading to an accurate estimation of T1 values. The method is applicable for measuring a range of T1 values, thus indicating the possibility of routine use of the method for several systems. A comparative study of different single scan methods currently available is presented, and the advantage of the proposed sequence is highlighted. The possibility of the use of the method for the study of cross-correlation effects for the case of fluorine in a single shot is also demonstrated.Tweets about prescription opioid use may reveal insights into the prescription drug epidemic. We qualitatively assessed 2,100 tweets about prescription opioids utilizing a Twitter Archiving Google Spreadsheet® and determined whether the tweet represented abuse (i.e., use to get high), not abuse (i.e., use as analgesic), or was not characterizable (e.g., "I need a Percocet") and whether the connotation was positive (i.e. promote psychoactive or analgesic use), negative (i.e., adverse event), or not characterizable. Abuse was commonly described and the majority of terms (>66%) represented a positive connotation. Twitter can be a resource to observe trends in perceptions about prescription opioid use.Diatoms are a highly diverse group of eukaryotic phytoplankton that are distributed throughout marine and freshwater environments and are believed to be responsible for approximately 40% of the total marine primary productivity. The ecological success of diatoms suggests that they have developed a range of strategies to cope with various biotic and abiotic stress factors. It is of great interest to understand the adaptive responses of diatoms to different stresses in the marine environment. Proteomic technologies have been applied to the adaptive responses of marine diatoms under different growth conditions in recent years such as nitrogen starvation, iron limitation and phosphorus deficiency. These studies have provided clues to elucidate the sophisticated sensing mechanisms that control their adaptive responses. Although only a very limited number of proteomic studies were conducted in diatoms, the obtained data have led to a better understanding of the biochemical processes that contribute to their ecological success.