Sperm quality of Colossoma macropomum after room‐temperature and cold storage

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cold and room‐temperature storage on the quality of Colossoma macropomum sperm. The experiment was carried out in December (end of Spring), in Nova Mutum‐MT, Brazil, involving nine C. macropomum males (4 years old; 6.4 ± 1.5 kg average weight). The fish were selected and transferred to masonry tanks (4 m³) in a laboratory (water renewal rate: 10 L/s; average water temperature: 28°C). Subsequently, reproduction was induced using 2.5 mg of crude carp pituitary extract/kg and the semen was harvested 240 degree hours after hormonal induction. The following sperm characteristics were analyzed every 5 hr using Image J/casa software: total motility (MOT), curvilinear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP), straight‐line velocity (VSL), straightness of sperm path (STR), wobble (WOB), progressive motility (PROG), beat cross frequency (BCF) and total number of spermatozoa (NSPZ). A fresh sample of semen from each animal was kept at room temperature (25.3 ± 1.2°C). For analysis of cooled semen, syringes were kept in cooling boxes at an average temperature of 16.9 ± 2.1°C. The reduction (p < 0.05) of MOT in semen kept at room temperature occurred at 10 hr (13.95%); in cooled semen, however, MOT declined at 15 hr (76.87%). At 15 hr, there was practically no MOT in the semen kept at room temperature (0.20%), whereas in the cooled semen this situation was observed only at 35 hr (2.91%) The MOT of cooled sperm was higher (p < 0.05) at all times (except zero time), compared with the semen maintained at room temperature. At 15 hr, the cooled spermatozoa showed higher (p < 0.05) VCL (142.18 μm/s) and BCF (29.72 Hz) than those maintained at room temperature (VCL: 51.18 μm/s; BCF: 19.57 Hz). After 15 hr, only the cooled sperm showed quality. In conclusion, semen cooling allows for extending the viability of C. macropomum spermatozoa from 5 to 10 hr without compromising their quality in most characteristics. At 15 and 25 hr of cooling, sperm viability is still observed, though with decreased quality.     

Anciano y anemia: revisión crítica de su definición y prevalencia

Background and objectivesThe prevalence of anaemia is an important health indicator, although there is little rigorous information gathered on the elderly population, particularly in those over 80 years old. The same criteria that are used in the general population are often used to define anaemia in the elderly. The epidemiological data collected by the WHO in 1968 (that have been used to generalise this criteria), did not include the population over 65 years-old.Two objectives are established, which includes a critical review of the available evidence on whether the criteria used to define anaemia in the adult population can be extrapolated to the elderly, and a review of publications on the prevalence of anaemia in the elderly over 80 years-old.Material and methodsA systematic bibliographic search was performed on the established objectives.ResultsAlthough the WHO criteria, based on data from 1968, are widely used, other possible cut-off points have been proposed for elderly people. A total of 20 studies were found that were conducted in North America and Europe, with only 70,000 patients, and different age criteria. The prevalence of anaemia ranges between 3% and 63%, depending on the diagnostic criteria, age, and whether they were institutionalised or not.ConclusionsAnaemia is a very prevalent disease in elderly patients. The collection of large databases is necessary to determine more adequate diagnostic criteria.     

Protein structure prediction assisted with sparse NMR data in CASP13

CASP13 has investigated the impact of sparse NMR data on the accuracy of protein structure prediction. NOESY and ¹⁵N-¹H residual dipolar coupling data, typical of that obtained for ¹⁵N,¹³C-enriched, perdeuterated proteins up to about 40 kDa, were simulated for 11 CASP13 targets ranging in size from 80 to 326 residues. For several targets, two prediction groups generated models that are more accurate than those produced using baseline methods. Real NMR data collected for a de novo designed protein were also provided to predictors, including one data set in which only backbone resonance assignments were available. Some NMR-assisted prediction groups also did very well with these data. CASP13 also assessed whether incorporation of sparse NMR data improves the accuracy of protein structure prediction relative to nonassisted regular methods. In most cases, incorporation of sparse, noisy NMR data results in models with higher accuracy. The best NMR-assisted models were also compared with the best regular predictions of any CASP13 group for the same target. For six of 13 targets, the most accurate model provided by any NMR-assisted prediction group was more accurate than the most accurate model provided by any regular prediction group; however, for the remaining seven targets, one or more regular prediction method provided a more accurate model than even the best NMR-assisted model. These results suggest a novel approach for protein structure determination, in which advanced prediction methods are first used to generate structural models, and sparse NMR data is then used to validate and/or refine these models.     

Disparity vs. diversity in Stegosauria (Dinosauria,Ornithischia): cranial and post-cranial sub-dataset provide different signals

The Stegosauria represents an iconic group of ornithischian dinosaurs, with a fossil record spanning the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. In this contribution I present the first detailed analysis of the relationship between disparity and diversity through the evolutionary history of the group. The analysis has been performed on a recently published cladistic dataset, allowing the separate study of the signals deriving from discrete characters and from continuous morphometric characters. Whereas the disparity as sum of variance is decoupled with respect to diversity, the sum of ranges provides a signal fairly consistent with the trend in the number of taxa. Both sub-data sets show that evolution of stegosaurs can be considered essentially as symmetrical, i.e. the maximum exploration of the possible morphospace takes place about half way through the history of the group, with subsequent significant decline until extinction in the Upper Cretaceous. An interesting result is a decoupling of the tempo and mode of evolution of the cranium and postcranium in stegosaurs. Specifically, the evolutionary radiation with maximum saturation of morphospace is anticipated in the cranial skeleton, with maximum peak in the Oxfordian; in contrast, the postcranium explores the largest number of morphotypes subsequently during the Kimmeridgian.     

The first Tanyderidae (Diptera) from Lower Cretaceous Álava amber (Spain)

A new genus and species, Espanoderus barbarae gen. et sp. nov., belonging to the family Tanyderidae (Diptera, Nematocera), is described from Lower Cretaceous amber of Spain (Álava amber). The new genus is the smallest member of Tanyderinae and the first member of the family from the Álava amber. The position of the new genus in a phylogenetic tree of Tanyderidae is presented.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EC3284BA-C07F-48AC-8AF5-4F9D2EF4EA6C     

Apoptosis: A mammalian cell bioprocessing perspective

Apoptosis is a form of programmed and controlled cell death that accounts for the majority of cellular death in bioprocesses. Cell death affects culture longevity and product quality; it is instigated by several stresses experienced by the cells within a bioreactor. Understanding the factors that cause apoptosis as well as developing strategies that can protect cells is crucial for robust bioprocess development. This review aims to a) address apoptosis from a bioprocess perspective; b) describe the significant apoptotic mechanisms linking them to the most relevant stresses encountered in bioreactors; c) discuss the design of operating conditions in order to avoid cell death; d) focus on industrially relevant cell lines; and e) present anti-apoptosis strategies including cell engineering and model-based optimization of bioprocesses. In addition, the importance of apoptosis in quality-by-design bioprocess development from clone screening to production scale are highlighted.     

Protein electrophoresis in Andean condors (Vultur gryphus): Reference values and differences between wild and rehabilitating individuals

The study of wildlife health greatly contributes to understanding population dynamics and detecting conservation threats. The determination of the different fractions of plasma proteins (proteinogram) is an important laboratory tool to study wildlife health. The aim of this study was to characterize protein electrophoresis in wild Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) from north‐western Patagonia and to evaluate differences according to age and sex classes. Once reference values of wild, apparently healthy individuals, were established, we compared these values to those of individuals received at the Buenos Aires Zoo in Argentina for rehabilitation due to various health problems. Reference proteinograms from wild Andean condors differed only in the α 1 and β 2‐fractions between sex categories. Males showed higher concentrations of these protein fractions than females. We found clear differences between wild birds and rehabilitating individuals. Total proteins, globulins, α 1‐globulins, total α‐globulins, β 2‐globulins, total β‐globulins, and γ‐globulins were significantly higher in rehabilitating than in wild individuals, whereas albumin, α 2, and β1‐globulins were similar between these groups. The albumin/globulin ratio, as a general indicator of health, was significantly lower in rehabilitating than in wild individuals. The results indicate the effects on different protein fractions of pathologic processes occurring in individuals undergoing rehabilitation. Our results provide useful insights, contributing to improving diagnoses and prognoses in this species. This information may also be useful to assess the health status of Andean condors in studies of wild populations and for comparisons with other bird species.