Settlement and early survival of red coral on artificial substrates in different geographic areas: some clues for demography and restoration

The red coral Corallium rubrum (L 1758) is a long-lived, slow-growing gorgonian, endemic to Mediterranean rocky bottoms. Because of its high economic value, red coral has long been harvested, and most populations have been depleted. In the present study, 54 marble tiles were placed in June 2003 within red coral populations over 3 different geographic areas (Calafuria–Livorno and Elba MPA in Italy and Medes Islets MPA, in Spain), on vertical cliffs between 25 and 35 m. In each area 2 different sites were randomly selected. Tiles were subsequently sampled photographically. Between July and August 2003 red coral recruits settled on tiles in all the geographic areas and sites, exhibiting wide variability in their density. On the basis of a 2-factors nested ANOVA a significant variability between different sites at a few hundred metres distance occurred, indicating high variations in the recruitment process within the same red coral population. Mortality, measured in June 2004, widely varied between different geographic areas.     

Metabolites released by Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans and var. gattii differentially affect human neutrophil function

Differences in the ability of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans (CNVN) and var. gattii (CNVG) to establish localized lesions in the lungs of healthy humans remain unexplained. In this study, CNVG infection in a rat model was characterized by early neutrophil invasion into lung tissue, but phagocytosis of cryptococci was not observed. The chemical composition of non-enzymic components secreted by one strain of each variety (heat-inactivated supernatants from CNVN and CNVG, termed vns and vgs, respectively) were compared, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Effects on human neutrophil viability and functions at both pH 5.5 and 7.0 were investigated, as the pH of cryptococcomas was found to be 5.4-5.6 in vivo. The supernatants were similar in composition, although metabolites in vns were generally present in higher concentrations. In addition, vgs contained two novel metabolites-acetoin and dihydroxyacetone. Polyphosphate was observed in cells from both varieties and may be a source of extracellular inorganic phosphate. Superoxide production in the presence of phorbol ester was enhanced by treatment with vns and decreased by vgs. At pH 5.5, vns caused high levels of necrosis in neutrophils, as well as increased adhesion/migration through A549 lung epithelial cell monolayers. Individual supernatant components such as polyols, acetoin, dihydroxyacetone, and gamma-aminobutyric acid exhibited both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties. Overall, we found that vgs was potentially less pro-inflammatory than vns. Inhibition of neutrophil function by products of CNVG may promote survival of extracellular organisms, and local multiplication to form cryptococcomas.     

The tempered polymerization of human neuroserpin

Neuroserpin, a member of the serpin protein superfamily, is an inhibitor of proteolytic activity that is involved in pathologies such as ischemia, Alzheimer's disease, and Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Bodies (FENIB). The latter belongs to a class of conformational diseases, known as serpinopathies, which are related to the aberrant polymerization of serpin mutants. Neuroserpin is known to polymerize, even in its wild type form, under thermal stress. Here, we study the mechanism of neuroserpin polymerization over a wide range of temperatures by different techniques. Our experiments show how the onset of polymerization is dependent on the formation of an intermediate monomeric conformer, which then associates with a native monomer to yield a dimeric species. After the formation of small polymers, the aggregation proceeds via monomer addition as well as polymer-polymer association. No further secondary mechanism takes place up to very high temperatures, thus resulting in the formation of neuroserpin linear polymeric chains. Most interesting, the overall aggregation is tuned by the co-occurrence of monomer inactivation (i.e. the formation of latent neuroserpin) and by a mechanism of fragmentation. The polymerization kinetics exhibit a unique modulation of the average mass and size of polymers, which might suggest synchronization among the different processes involved. Thus, fragmentation would control and temper the aggregation process, instead of enhancing it, as typically observed (e.g.) for amyloid fibrillation.     

A potential role of Escherichia coli pathobionts in the pathogenesis of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Through genomic analysis of mucosa-associated Escherichia coli strains, we found a close genetic association among isolates from pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. A specific E. coli pathovar, adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC), was found in Crohn's disease (CD) adult patients - this pathovar has enhanced adhesive and invasive properties, mainly due to the mannose-bonding FimH protein. We aimed to characterize 52 mucosa-associated E. coli strains isolated from pediatric IBD and non-IBD patients. Eleven E. coli strains, showing a strong similarity in fimH gene sequence to that of E. coli AIEC LF82, were characterized for fimH gene sequence, genomic profiling, adhesive and invasive ability, and phylogrouping. The results were compared with E. coli strains AIEC LF82 and MG1655. The 11 E. coli isolates showed 82.4% ± 1.4% fimH sequence similarity and 80.6% ± 1.3% genomic similarity to strain AIEC LF82. All these strains harbored V27A and S78N FimH mutations, as found in LF82. Nine of them belonged to the more virulent B2 and D phylogroups. Neuraminidase treatment, mimicking inflamed mucosa, enhanced adhesion of all 11 strains by 3.5-fold, but none showed invasion ability. It could be argued that the 11 selected strains could be a branch of an E. coli subpopulation (pathobionts), that could take advantage in an inflamed context because of a suitable genomic and (or) genetic backdrop.     

The Relationship of Health Outcomes to Improvement in BMI in Children and Adolescents

Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients participating in an outpatient program for managing childhood and adolescent obesity. Research Methods and Procedures: Based on a retrospective chart review, 394 physician‐referred obese youth (BMI > 95th percentile), 5 to 19 years of age, were treated in an interdisciplinary, family‐centered, behavioral weight management program in a hospital‐based outpatient setting. Treatment included group exercise, parent education, and behavioral intervention therapies to improve diet and physical activity. Results: A total of 177 (45%) completed the initial phase of treatment (mean duration = 5.6 months). For the completion group, there were significant improvements (all p < 0.001) in weight (?2.0 ± 4.9 kg), BMI (?1.7 ± 1.9 kg/m²), and BMI z score (?0.15 ± 0.15), without interfering with growth (height, 2.2 ± 1.3 cm; p < 0.001). Significant improvement was also found for blood pressure, total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)‐cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and aerobic fitness. At onset of treatment, 134 (84%) patients had abnormal fasting insulin concentration, 88 (50%) had abnormal total cholesterol, 14 (8%) had abnormal diastolic blood pressure, and 69 (40%) had abnormal LDL‐cholesterol. At the end of treatment, a significant proportion of patients with baseline abnormal blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL‐cholesterol had normal values (p < 0.001). A decrease in BMI z score was associated with significant improvements in insulin and lipid values (all p < 0.05). Discussion: We have demonstrated that a modest decrease in BMI in an ongoing clinical pediatric weight management program is accompanied by significant improvements in related health measures. These results may be helpful in counseling families with overweight children and adolescents.