Transmission of parasites in the coastal waters of the Arctic seas and possible effect of climate change

The review deals with the biodiversity, life cycles, distribution and temperature adaptations of parasites circulating in the coastal waters of northern polar seas. Special attention is given to helminths of marine birds, which are the most common parasites in the coastal waters. Among them, the focus is on trematodes. Factors responsible for the impoverished species composition of parasites in the Arctic are analyzed. It is shown that species without free-living larvae in the life cycle have an advantage in this environment. The abundance of cestodes and acanthocephalans in Arctic seabirds is linked with the high proportion of crustaceans in their diet. The phenomenon of nonspecific parasitism (occurrence of parasites in atypical host species) is analyzed from an evolutionary viewpoint. Characteristic features in the spatial distribution of infection of marine coastal invertebrates with parasite larvae are considered, and factors that determine it are specified. The prevalence of infection in intermediate hosts is closely connected with the abundance of final hosts, which makes it possible to estimate the abundance of final hosts in a given region and reveal trends in its changes. Trematodes have a high potential for temperature acclimation. This facilitates their transmission in the northern seas but, on the other hand, makes it unlikely that the transmission process would be intensified upon an increase in summer temperatures resulting from climate warming. However, intensification of transmission may well occur due to the prolongation of the warm season (“transmission window”), which has been predicted and is already observed. It is suggested that warming in the Arctic promotes both the entry of certain “southern” species into the Arctic and the trans-Arctic interpenetration of the North Atlantic and North Pacific parasitic faunas. A case is made for the necessity to broaden the scope of parasitological research in the Arctic and Subarctic, including parasitological monitoring at the reference sites of the sea coast.     

Medical Materials Based on Chitosan Succinamide–Glycerol Systems

The conditions to obtain materials with elastic-viscous properties based on chitosan succinamide have been studied. A decreased polymer content and a transition from visco-elastic liquids to elastic-viscous systems were shown upon the addition of glycerol to an aqueous solution of chitosan succinamide. The systemic response, biological compatibility, and dynamics of bioresorbability of the obtained materials were studied during implantation in laboratory animals.     

Duration-dependent effects of nicotine exposure on growth and AKT activation in human kidney epithelial cells

Exposure to nicotine is known to cause adverse effects in many target organs including kidney. Epidemiological studies suggest that nicotine-induced kidney diseases are prevalent worldwide. However, the impact of duration of exposure on the nicotine-induced adverse effects in normal kidney cells and the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. Hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate both acute and long-term effects of nicotine in normal human kidney epithelial cells (HK-2). Cells were treated with 1 and 10 µM nicotine for acute and long-term duration. The result of cell viability showed that the acute exposure to 1 µM nicotine has no significant effect on growth. However, the 10 µM nicotine caused significant decrease in the growth of HK-2 cells. The long-term exposure resulted in significantly increased cell growth in both 1 and 10 µM nicotine-treated groups. Analysis of cell cycle and expression of marker genes related to proliferation and apoptosis further confirmed the effects of nicotine. Additionally, the analysis of growth signaling pathway revealed the decreased level of pAKT in cells with acute exposure whereas the increased level of pAKT in long-term nicotine-exposed cells. This suggests that nicotine, through modulating the AKT pathway, controls the duration-dependent effects on the growth of HK-2 cells. In summary, this is the first report showing long-duration exposure to nicotine causes increased proliferation of human kidney epithelial cells through activation of AKT pathway.     

EEG Spectral Analysis on OM Mantra Meditation: A Pilot Study

Mantra meditation is easy to practice. “OM” Mantra is the highest sacred symbol in Hinduism. The present study investigated the temporal dynamics of oscillatory changes after OM mantra meditation. Twenty-three naive meditators were asked to perform loud OM chanting for 30 min and the EEG were subsequently recorded with closed eyes before and after it. To obtain new insights into the nature of the EEG after OM chanting, EEG signals were analyzed using spectral domain analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using repeated measures of analysis of variance. It did not reveal any specific band involvement into OM mantra meditation. But significantly increase in theta power was found after meditation when averaged across all brain regions. This is the main effect of OM mantra meditation. However, the theta power showed higher theta amplitude after condition at all regions in comparison to the before condition of meditation. Finding was similar to other studies documenting reduction in cortical arousal during a state of relaxation. The study argues for the potential role of loud ‘OM’ chanting in offering relaxation. It provides a new perspective of meditation to the naive meditators. This information may help to demystify meditation and encourage those considering this as beneficial practice.     

Diversity of spiders and orthopterans respond to intra-seasonal and spatial environmental changes

Our understanding of arthropod responses to environmental pressures is limited, especially for the poorly studied Mediterranean region. In the light of likely further environmental change and the need for protocols for rapid biodiversity assessment, we measured how the abundance and species richness of two taxa, ground spiders and Orthoptera, belonging to different functional groups, fluctuates intra- seasonally (early-mid-late summer) and across habitat types (grasslands, maquis, forests). We also tested their surrogate value. Spiders were found to have higher species richness and abundance almost throughout the investigation. Orthoptera had lower species richness and abundance in forests compared to grasslands and maquis, while no significant difference between habitats was revealed for spiders. Early-summer was the richest period for spiders while mid-summer was the richest for Orthoptera. Canopy cover was found to significantly influence community composition of both groups, while herb height and cover of stones was a determinant factor for Orthoptera only. There was a significant congruence between the two groups and Orthoptera provided the best complementary network. Our results show that diversity patterns of both spiders and Orthoptera are sensitive to environmental changes even over short time-scales (e.g. within the summer period) and space (e.g. across different habitat types), suggesting that small inexpensive experimental designs may still reveal community dynamics. For conservation purposes, we advise a focus on variables regulating habitat heterogeneity and microhabitat characteristics. We provide a list of the most influential species and propose the most effective network for obtaining information on the local fauna.