Intertidal community composition along rocky shores in South-west Greenland: a quantitative approach

The intertidal communities on rocky shores are directly subjected to climatic changes in air and water temperatures and to derived effects of climate change, such as changes in freshwater run-off and ice dynamics. Global warming occurs at elevated rates in Greenland and results in changing species distributions with range expansions to the north and new species entering terrestrial habitats from the south. There is, however, no quantitative knowledge of past or present species distribution in the littoral zone of Southern Greenland, an area which represents an important gateway for northern range expansions of temperate species. This study provides baseline information on abundances of macroorganisms in the eulittoral Southern Greenland. This knowledge will pave the way for future studies on the impact of climate change and anthropogenic activities on these communities. Nine sites, situated at different exposure levels, were investigated. A total of 22 taxa were recorded, suggesting low species richness. Patellid limpets and predators such as dogwhelks, starfish and crabs were absent. Total standing stock ranged from 0 to 31,898 g m^?2. Species composition and biomasses were related to locally generated wave exposure, oceanic swells and ice scouring. The high standing stock at sheltered sites indicated that neither light, temperature nor nutrients, constrained buildup of biomass in this environment. Inshore seasonal measurements of water and air temperatures were recorded for the first time in the region, displaying low water temperatures and high variation in air temperatures, indicating lack of insulating stable sea ice in the area. Possible impacts of ongoing temperature changes are discussed based on recorded temperatures and meteorological data from the past 30 years.     

Body condition score,morphometric measurements and estimation of body weight in mature Icelandic horses in Denmark

Background

Obesity is related to the development of several diseases like insulin resistance and laminitis in horses. The prevalence of obesity among mature Icelandic horses in Denmark has not been investigated previously. This study aimed to find the prevalence of obesity, to compare body condition score (BCS) based on owner perception with that of an experienced person and to correlate the BCS to body weight (BW) and morphometric measures in a group of mature Icelandic horses in Denmark. A total of 254 Icelandic horses (≥4 years; 140 geldings, 105 mares, 9 stallions) from 46 different farms were included. All horses were assigned a BCS on a scale from 1 to 9 (1 is poor, 5 is moderate and 9 is extremely fat) by their owner and by an experienced person. Two weight tapes were used to assess BW. Girth circumference (GC), neck circumference (NC) and height at withers (HW) were measured, and the GC:HW and NC:HW ratios were calculated.

Results

Categorising the horses into four groups, 5.9 % were underweight (BCS 3–4), 70.1 % were optimal (BCS 5–6), 13.8 % were overweight (BCS 7) and 10.2 % were obese (BCS 8–9). The GC:HW and NC:HW ratios increased with increasing BCS, as did the BW estimated with the weight tapes. A GC:HW ratio >1.21 might indicate overweight or obesity in Icelandic horses. Horse owners underestimated the BCS of their horses compared to an experienced person.

Conclusions

The results from this study show that 24.0 % of mature Icelandic horses in Denmark are overweight or obese, and that owners tend to underestimate the BCS of their Icelandic horses. The GC:HW ratio might indicate overweight or obesity, however, the ratio for Icelandic horses is different than reported for horses and ponies of other breeds.

     

Too much of a good thing? Inorganic nitrogen (N) inhibits moss-associated N2 fixation but organic N can promote it

Biogeochemistry - Moss-associated nitrogen (N2) fixation is one of the main inputs of new N in pristine ecosystems that are characterized by low N availability. Previous studies have shown that N2...     

Tumstatin,a Matrikine Derived from Collagen Type IVα3, is Elevated in Serum from Patients with Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVES: Fibrosis and cancer are characterized by extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. The basement membrane is mainly composed by collagen type IV and laminin. Tumstatin is a matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) generated matrikine of collagen type IV α3 chain. We evaluated the potential of tumstatin as a diagnostic biomarker of lung disorders. METHODS: A monoclonal antibody was raised against the neo-epitope tumstatin. A novel competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of tumstatin (TUM), was developed and technically characterized. Levels of TUM were measured in serum of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) belonging to two cohorts. RESULTS: The developed TUM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was technically robust. In cohort 1, levels of TUM were significantly higher in NSCLC compared to healthy controls, IPF, and COPD (P = 0.007, P = 0.03 and P = 0.001, respectively). The area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) for separation of patients with NSCLC from healthy controls was 0.97, for separation of NSCLC and IPF patients was 0.98, and for separation of NSCLC and COPD patients was 1.0. In cohort 2, levels of TUM were also significantly higher in patients with NSCLC compared to healthy controls (P = 0.002), and the AUROC for separation of NSCLC and healthy controls was 0.73. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a technically robust competitive ELISA targeting the fragment tumstatin. The level of TUM in circulation was significantly higher in patients with NSCLC compared to patients with IPF, COPD and healthy controls. The assay provided high diagnostic accuracy in separating NSCLC patients from other lung disorders and from healthy controls.     

Lipid molecular timeline profiling reveals diurnal crosstalk between the liver and circulation

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