Approaches to regulating recreational fisheries: balancing biology with angler satisfaction

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Recreational fishing is practiced by?~?350 million people globally, and while it historically has been thought to have minimal ecological impact...     

Design of a novel LOX-1 receptor antagonist mimicking the natural substrate

The lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), the major receptor for oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in endothelial cells, is overexpressed in atherosclerotic lesions. LOX-1 specific inhibitors, urgently necessary to reduce the rate of atherosclerotic and inflammation processes, are not yet available. We have designed and synthesized a new modified oxidized phospholipid, named PLAzPC, which plays to small scale the ligand-receptor recognition scheme. Molecular docking simulations confirm that PLAzPC disables the hydrophobic component of the ox-LDL recognition domain and allows the interaction of the l-lysine backbone charged groups with the solvent and with the charged/polar residues located around the edges of the LOX-1 hydrophobic tunnel. Binding assays, in a cell model system expressing human LOX-1 receptors, confirm that PLAzPC markedly inhibits ox-LDL binding to LOX-1 with higher efficacy compared to previously identified inhibitors.     

Extracellular Sphingosine-1-Phosphate: A Novel Actor in Human Glioblastoma Stem Cell Survival

Glioblastomas are the most frequent and aggressive intracranial neoplasms in humans, and despite advances and the introduction of the alkylating agent temozolomide in therapy have improved patient survival, resistance mechanisms limit benefits. Recent studies support that glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs), a cell subpopulation within the tumour, are involved in the aberrant expansion and therapy resistance properties of glioblastomas, through still unclear mechanisms. Emerging evidence suggests that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) a potent onco-promoter able to act as extracellular signal, favours malignant and chemoresistance properties in GSCs. Notwithstanding, the origin of S1P in the GSC environment remains unknown. We investigated S1P metabolism, release, and role in cell survival properties of GSCs isolated from either U87-MG cell line or a primary culture of human glioblastoma. We show that both GSC models, grown as neurospheres and expressing GSC markers, are resistant to temozolomide, despite not expressing the DNA repair protein MGMT, a major contributor to temozolomide-resistance. Pulse experiments with labelled sphingosine revealed that both GSC types are able to rapidly phosphorylate the long-chain base, and that the newly produced S1P is efficiently degraded. Of relevance, we found that S1P was present in GSC extracellular medium, its level being significantly higher than in U87-MG cells, and that the extracellular/intracellular ratio of S1P was about ten-fold higher in GSCs. The activity of sphingosine kinases was undetectable in GSC media, suggesting that mechanisms of S1P transport to the extracellular environment are constitutive in GSCs. In addition we found that an inhibitor of S1P biosynthesis made GSCs sensitive to temozolomide (TMZ), and that exogenous S1P reverted this effect, thus involving extracellular S1P as a GSC survival signal in TMZ resistance. Altogether our data implicate for the first time GSCs as a pivotal source of extracellular S1P, which might act as an autocrine/paracrine signal contributing to their malignant properties.     

Effects of the Infusion of 4% or 20% Human Serum Albumin on the Skeletal Muscle Microcirculation in Endotoxemic Rats

Background

Sepsis-induced microcirculatory alterations contribute to tissue hypoxia and organ dysfunction. In addition to its plasma volume expanding activity, human serum albumin (HSA) has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may have a protective role in the microcirculation during sepsis. The concentration of HSA infused may influence these effects. We compared the microcirculatory effects of the infusion of 4% and 20% HSA in an experimental model of sepsis.

Methods

Adult male Wistar rats were equipped with arterial and venous catheters and received an intravenous infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, serotype O127:B8, 10 mg/kg over 30 minutes) or vehicle (SHAM, n = 6). Two hours later, endotoxemic animals were randomized to receive 10 mL/kg of either 4% HSA (LPS+4%HSA, n = 6), 20% HSA (LPS+20%HSA, n = 6) or 0.9% NaCl (LPS+0.9%NaCl, n = 6). No fluids were given to an additional 6 animals (LPS). Vessel density and perfusion were assessed in the skeletal muscle microcirculation with sidestream dark field videomicroscopy at baseline (t0), 2 hours after LPS injection (t1), after HSA infusion (t2) and 1 hour later (t3). The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate were recorded. Serum endothelin-1 was measured at t2.

Results

MAP was stable over time in all groups. The microcirculatory parameters were significantly altered in endotoxemic animals at t1. The infusion of both 4% and 20% HSA similarly increased the perfused vessel density and blood flow velocity and decreased the flow heterogeneity to control values. Microvascular perfusion was preserved in the LPS+20%HSA group at t3, whereas alterations reappeared in the LPS+4%HSA group.

Conclusions

In a rat model of normotensive endotoxemia, the infusion of 4% or 20% HSA produced a similar acute improvement in the microvascular perfusion in otherwise unresuscitated animals.     

Chemistry of the consumption and excretion of the bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), a coral reef mega-consumer

Coral Reefs - Bolbometopon muricatum are ecologically unique mega-consumers in coral reef ecosystems. They primarily divide their dietary intake between living scleractinian corals and coral rock,...     

The evaluation of the oxidative state of native-LDL: three methods compared

LDL-oxidation is considered a contributing factor to the development of atherosclerotic lesions. However, to utilise the oxidative state of LDL as a marker of cardiovascular risk, reliable analytical methods for its detection must be defined. We have compared three methods for their capacity to evaluate the difference in the oxidation state of isolated LDL subjected to either dialysis (D-LDL) or gel filtration (F-LDL) to remove EDTA. Their susceptibility to oxidation promoted by Cu(2+) was monitored by following the time course of conjugated diene (CD) and lipid hydroperoxide (ROOH) accumulation. The relative electrophoretic mobility (REM) of the same LDL samples was evaluated by capillary electrophoresis. As measured by all three methods, F-LDL are less prone to oxidation than D-LDL when added with CuSO(4). REM of F-LDL and D-LDL significantly differs already before the addition of the metal catalyst, whereas CD and ROOH contents become significantly different only after it. Besides confirming that a rapid centrifugation followed by gel filtration is a more convenient procedure than dialysis to remove EDTA during LDL isolation, our study suggests the REM of isolated-LDL as the biochemical marker of choice in the evaluation of its oxidative state.     

Confirmation of the potential usefulness of two human beta globin pseudogene markers to estimate gene flows to and from sub-Saharan Africans

Two polymorphic sites, -107 and -100 with respect to the "cap" site of the human beta globin pseudogene, recently discovered in our laboratory, turned out to have an ethnically complementary distribution. The first site is polymorphic in Europeans, North Africans, Indians (Hindu), and Oriental Asians, and monomorphic in sub-Saharan Africans. Conversely, the second site is polymorphic in sub-Saharan African populations and monomorphic in the aforementioned populations. Here we report the gene frequencies of these two polymorphic sites in nine additional populations (Egyptians, Spaniards, Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Africans from Togo and from Benin, and Pygmies), confirming their ethnospecificity and, through the analysis of these two markers in Oromo and Amhara of Ethiopia (two mixed populations), their usefulness in genetic admixture studies. Moreover, we studied another marker polymorphic in sub-Saharan African populations only, a TaqI restriction fragment length polymorphism located in the same region as the present markers, demonstrating the absence of linkage disequilibrium between it and the -100 site, so that we can exclude that the information they provide is redundant.     

Antiendotoxin activity of protegrin analog IB-367 alone or in combination with piperacillin in different animal models of septic shock

The therapeutic efficacy of protegrin peptide IB-367 was investigated in three rat models of septic shock: (i) rats injected intraperitoneally with 1mg Escherichia coli 0111:B4 lipopolysaccharide, (ii) rats given an intraperitoneal injection of 2 X 10(10) CFU of E. coli ATCC 25922, and (iii) rats in which intra-abdominal sepsis was induced via cecal ligation and puncture. All animals were randomized to receive parenterally isotonic sodium chloride solution, 1mg/kg of IB-367, 60mg/kg piperacillin and 1mg/kg of IB-367 plus 60mg/kg piperacillin. The peptide demonstrated lower level of antimicrobial activity than piperacillin, nevertheless it exhibited the dual properties of antimicrobial and antiendotoxin agent. Finally IB-367 and piperacillin association showed to be the most effective therapeutic approach.