Floodplain ecosystem dynamics under extreme dry and wet phases in semi‐arid Australia

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Modelling response strategies for controlling gonorrhoea outbreaks in men who have sex with men in Australia

The ability to treat gonorrhoea with current first-line drugs is threatened by the global spread of extensively drug resistant (XDR) Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) strains. In Australia, urban transmission is high among men who have sex with men (MSM) and importation of an XDR NG strain in this population could result in an epidemic that would be difficult and costly to control. An individual-based, anatomical site-specific mathematical model of NG transmission among Australian MSM was developed and used to evaluate the potential for elimination of an imported NG strain under a range of case-based and population-based test-and-treat strategies. When initiated upon detection of the imported strain, these strategies enhance the probability of elimination and reduce the outbreak size compared with current practice (current testing levels and no contact tracing). The most effective strategies combine testing targeted at regular and casual partners with increased rates of population testing. However, even with the most effective strategies, outbreaks can persist for up to 2 years post-detection. Our simulations suggest that local elimination of imported NG strains can be achieved with high probability using combined case-based and population-based test-and-treat strategies. These strategies may be an effective means of preserving current treatments in the event of wider XDR NG emergence.     

Having it all: historical energy intakes do not generate the anticipated trade-offs in fecundity

An axiom of life-history theory, and fundamental to our understanding of ageing, is that animals must trade-off their allocation of resources since energy and nutrients are limited. Therefore, animals cannot "have it all"--combine high rates of fecundity with extended lifespans. The idea of life-history trade-offs was recently challenged by the discovery that ageing may be governed by a small subset of molecular processes independent of fitness. We tested the "trade-off" and "having it all" theories by examining the fecundities of C57BL/6J mice placed onto four different dietary treatments that generated caloric intakes from -21 to +8.6% of controls. We predicted body fat would be deposited in relation to caloric intake. Excessive body fat is known to cause co-morbidities that shorten lifespan, while caloric restriction enhances somatic protection and increases longevity. The trade-off model predicts that increased fat would be tolerated because reproductive gain offsets shortened longevity, while animals on a restricted intake would sacrifice reproduction for lifespan extension. The responses of body fat to treatments followed our expectations, however, there was a negative relationship between reproductive performance (fecundity, litter mass) and historical intake/body fat. Our dietary restricted animals had lower protein oxidative damage and appeared able to combine life-history traits in a manner contrary to traditional expectations by having increased fecundity with the potential to have extended lifespans.     

RNA-based gene therapy for the treatment and prevention of HIV: from bench to bedside

Gene therapy is considered a feasible approach for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Targeting both viral genes and host dependency factors can interfere with the viral lifecycle and prevent viral replication. A number of approaches have been taken to target these genes, including ribozymes, aptamers, and RNAi based therapies. A number of these therapies are now beginning to make their way into clinical trials and providing proof of principle that gene therapy is a safe and realistic option for treating HIV. Here, we focus on those therapies that have progressed along the pipeline to preclinical and clinical testing.     

CXCR4 Is Dispensable for T Cell Egress from Chronically Inflamed Skin via the Afferent Lymph

T cell recirculation through extralymphoid tissues is essential to immune surveillance, host defense and inflammation. In this process, T cells enter the tissue from the blood and subsequently leave via the afferent lymph. In the absence of inflammation, T cells require CCR7 expression to egress from the skin or lung, which is consistent with the constitutive expression of the CCR7 ligand CCL21 on lymphatic endothelium. However, during chronic inflammation alternative chemoattractants come into play, allowing Ccr7-deficient (Ccr7^−/−) T cells to egress efficiently from affected skin. As T cell egress from inflamed sites is a potential control point of the inflammatory response, we aimed to determine alternative T cell exit receptors using a mouse and a sheep model. We show that CCR7⁺ and CCR7^– T cells exiting from the chronically inflamed skin were highly responsive to the CXCR4 ligand CXCL12, which was induced in the lymphatics in the inflamed site. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that CXCR4 mediates T cell egress from inflamed skin. However, pharmacological inhibition of CXCR4 did not affect the tissue egress of wildtype or Ccr7^−/− CD4 and CD8 T cells after adoptive transfer into chronically inflamed skin. Similarly, adoptively transferred Cxcr4^−/− Ccr7^−/− and Ccr7^−/− T cells egressed from the inflamed skin equally well. Based on these data, we conclude that, while CXCR4 might play an essential role for other cell types that enter the afferent lymphatics, it is dispensable for T cell egress from the chronically inflamed skin.     

Development of High‐Level Omega‐3 Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Production from Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a lipid‐rich marine diatom that contains a high level of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In an effort to reduce costs for large‐scale cultivation of this microalga, this study first established a New BBM medium (0.3 x strength BBM with only 3% of the initial phosphate level) to replace the traditional F/2 medium. Phaeodactylum tricornutum could grow in extremely low phosphate concentrations (25 µM), without compromising the EPA content. In the presence of sea salts, silicate addition was not necessary for high rate growth, high EPA content, or lipid accumulation in this species. Using urea as the sole nitrogen source tended to increase EPA contents per dry biomass (by 24.7%) while not affecting growth performance. The use of sea salts, rather than just sodium chloride, led to significantly improved biomass yields (20% increase) and EPA contents of total fatty acid (46–52% increase), most likely because it supplied sufficient essential elements such as magnesium. A salinity level of 35 led to significantly higher biomass yields compared with 20, but salinity had no significant influence on EPA content. EPA became the dominant fatty acid with average levels of 51.8% of total fatty acids during the exponential growth phase at 20 ppt in New BBM medium with sea salts.