Physical fitness and job performance of firefighters

Accurate correlations between a wide range of physical fitness measures and occupational demands are needed in order to identify specific fitness tests and training needs for firefighters. Twenty professional firefighters performed numerous fitness and job-related performance tests. Pearson product moment correlations were performed to identify the relationship between fitness components and job performance. Significant correlations (p <0.05) with job performance were identified for total fitness (r = -0.62), bench press strength (r = -0.66), hand grip strength (r = -0.71), bent-over row endurance (r = -0.61), bench press endurance (r = -0.73), shoulder press endurance (r = -0.71), bicep endurance (r = -0.69), squat endurance (r = -0.47), and 400-m sprint time (r = 0.79). It is apparent that firefighting taxes virtually all aspects of physical fitness. These data can help the exercise specialist choose appropriate tests and prescribe specific fitness programs for firefighters. Traditional firefighter exercise programs focusing mainly on cardiovascular fitness should be replaced with physical conditioning programs that address all components of fitness.     

Cost-effective large-scale expression of proteins for NMR studies

We present protocols for high-level expression of isotope-labelled proteins in E. coli in cost-effective ways. This includes production of large amounts of unlabeled proteins and ¹³C-methyl methionine labeling in rich media, where yields of up to a gram of soluble protein per liter of culture are reached. Procedures for uniform isotope labeling of ²H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N using auto-induction or isopropyl-β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside-induction are described, with primary focus on minimal isotope consumption and high reproducibility of protein expression. These protocols are based on high cell-density fermentation, but the key procedures are easily transferred to shake flask cultures.     

Successful worldwide invasion of the veined rapa whelk, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rapana venosa</Emphasis>, despite a dramatic genetic bottleneck

Biological invasions represent an important component of global change, with potentially huge detrimental effects on native biological biodiversity and ecosystems. Knowledge about invasion history provides information about the invasion process and the origin and genetic composition of invading populations. To clarify the source and invasive routes of a successful world-wide invader, the veined rapa whelk, Rapana venosa, genetic variability of samples from five representative native populations from coasts of Japan and China and 13 worldwide invasive populations was analyzed using 11 nuclear microsatellite loci. A dramatic decrease of genetic variation was detected in the invasive populations compared with the native populations. The results demonstrated that R. venosa was capable of establishing itself in many areas despite a dramatic genetic bottleneck, suggesting that a remarkable reduction of genetic diversity is not a limiting factor for short-term success of this invasive species. Considering the lack of mitochondrial variation previously observed in the invasive populations, the dramatic genetic bottleneck and the allele distribution detected using microsatellites suggested that the original introduced Black Sea population could have been founded by very few individuals, perhaps only a single female and a single male. The initial invasive Black Sea population was likely an accidental introduction from Japan, and then invaded the Adriatic Sea by range expansion, which served as a source for subsequent invasive populations in Europe and America by various transport vectors. In addition, microsatellite alleles in the invasive populations showed a tendency to mutate with the addition or deletion of a single repeat, which is consistent with the stepwise mutation model. Our findings provide a good example of how an aquatic invader with a drastic genetic bottleneck and very low genetic diversity rapidly expands its geographical range.     

Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats

As the effects of the Global Climate Changes on the costal regions of Central and South Americas advance, there is proportionally little research being made to understand such impacts. This commentary puts forward a series of propositions of strategies to improve performance of Central and South American science and policy making in order to cope with the future impacts of the Global Climate Changes in their coastal habitats.     

The Systemic Inflammome of Severe Obesity before and after Bariatric Surgery

Introduction

Obesity is associated with low-grade systemic inflammation. The “inflammome” is a network layout of the inflammatory pattern. The systemic inflammome of obesity has not been described as yet. We hypothesized that it can be significantly worsened by smoking and other comorbidities frequently associated with obesity, and ameliorated by bariatric surgery (BS). Besides, whether or not these changes are mirrored in the lungs is unknown, but obesity is often associated with pulmonary inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness.

Objectives

We sought to: (1) describe the systemic inflammome of morbid obesity; (2) investigate the effects of sex, smoking, sleep apnea syndrome, metabolic syndrome and BS upon this systemic inflammome; and, (3) determine their interplay with pulmonary inflammation.

Methods

We studied 129 morbidly obese patients (96 females; age 46±12 years; body mass index [BMI], 46±6 kg/m²) before and one year after BS, and 20 healthy, never-smokers, (43±7 years), with normal BMI and spirometry.

Results

Before BS, compared with controls, all obese subjects displayed a strong and coordinated (inflammome) systemic inflammatory response (adiponectin, C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-8, IL-10, leptin, soluble tumor necrosis factor-receptor 1(sTNF-R1), and 8-isoprostane). This inflammome was not modified by sex, smoking, or coexistence of obstructive sleep apnea and/or metabolic syndrome. By contrast, it was significantly ameliorated, albeit not completely abolished, after BS. Finally, obese subjects had evidence of pulmonary inflammation (exhaled condensate) that also decreased after BS.

Conclusions

The systemic inflammome of morbid obesity is independent of sex, smoking status and/or comorbidities, it is significantly reduced by BS and mirrored in the lungs.     

Characterisation of COPD heterogeneity in the ECLIPSE cohort

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex condition with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestations. This study describes the heterogeneity of COPD in a large and well characterised and controlled COPD cohort (ECLIPSE).

Methods

We studied 2164 clinically stable COPD patients, 337 smokers with normal lung function and 245 never smokers. In these individuals, we measured clinical parameters, nutritional status, spirometry, exercise tolerance, and amount of emphysema by computed tomography.

Results

COPD patients were slightly older than controls and had more pack years of smoking than smokers with normal lung function. Co-morbidities were more prevalent in COPD patients than in controls, and occurred to the same extent irrespective of the GOLD stage. The severity of airflow limitation in COPD patients was poorly related to the degree of breathlessness, health status, presence of co-morbidity, exercise capacity and number of exacerbations reported in the year before the study. The distribution of these variables within each GOLD stage was wide. Even in subjects with severe airflow obstruction, a substantial proportion did not report symptoms, exacerbations or exercise limitation. The amount of emphysema increased with GOLD severity. The prevalence of bronchiectasis was low (4%) but also increased with GOLD stage. Some gender differences were also identified.

Conclusions

The clinical manifestations of COPD are highly variable and the degree of airflow limitation does not capture the heterogeneity of the disease.     

Visceral Leishmaniasis and HIV Coinfection in the Mediterranean Region

Visceral leishmaniasis is hypoendemic in Mediterranean countries, where it is caused by the flagellate protozoan Leishmania infantum. VL cases in this area account for 5%–6% of the global burden. Cases of Leishmania/HIV coinfection have been reported in the Mediterranean region, mainly in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Since highly active antiretroviral therapy was introduced in 1997, a marked decrease in the number of coinfected cases in this region has been reported. The development of new diagnostic methods to accurately identify level of parasitemia and the risk of relapse is one of the main challenges in improving the treatment of coinfected patients. Clinical trials in the Mediterranean region are needed to determine the most adequate therapeutic options for Leishmania/HIV patients as well as the indications and regimes for secondary prophylaxis. This article reviews the epidemiological, diagnostic, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of Leishmania/HIV coinfection in the Mediterranean region.     

Coexistence patterns of benthic gastropods on the Uruguayan shelf

Community assembly rules theory attempt to understand the processes that determine the composition of local communities from a regional species pool. Nestedness and negative co‐occurrence are two of the most commonly reported meta‐community patterns, but almost exclusively from terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Here we analyzed the structure of species coexistence in six datasets containing presence/absence data for 120 marine benthic gastropod species in 249 sampling units on the Uruguayan continental shelf and Río de la Plata estuary. The ecological features of this system, such as the idiosyncratic nature of the biogeographic and oceanographic realms, are clearly different from those observed in other systems previously targeted by studies on coexistence structure. Community patterns were evaluated using null models and four structure indices. The existence of patterns in community assembly, and in particular segregated co‐occurrence, was verified only when analyzing the number of checkerboard units (CH index). This indicates more mutually exclusive species pairs than expected by chance. Nestedness, on the other hand, was not detected in any dataset. Storage and rescue effects related to overall high immigration and low local extinction rates are plausible mechanisms to account for the general pattern of random species coexistence, while the segregated co‐occurrence pattern depicted by the CH index may be related to differential habitat requirements within species pairs. Our study highlights the importance of analyzing metacommunity structures in alternative biological, environmental, and historical contexts in order to advance on the construction of a general ecological theory, relating patterns with the processes dominating in particular ecosystems.