Assessment of surface sediment dynamics and response of benthic macrofauna assemblages in Boughrara Lagoon (SW Mediterranean Sea)

A study was conducted in the spring of 2009, the winters of 2010 and 2013, and in the summer of 2012 at 13 stations in Boughrara Lagoon, Tunisia (southern Mediterranean). The country⿿s largest lagoon, it is considered to be an anthropogenically stressed area, though a major tourist centre⿿Djerba Island⿿is located along its northern shores. The lagoon bottoms were studied via analyses of grain size, surface sediment composition, total organic matter (TOM) and through the trophic and functional organisation of benthic macrofauna. The results indicate that the bottoms are composed of fine, medium or coarse sands and that sediment distribution is controlled by water movement. Estimation of TOM content revealed that the studied samples present both normal and imbalanced sediments. The structure and organisation of the lagoon⿿s benthic macrofauna are dominated by select deposit feeders and underwent significant changes during the period 2010⿿2013.Subjected for decades to increased pollution due to growing human activities in the surrounding area, Boughrara Lagoon now appears to be impacted by certain environmental/anthropogenic stressors, as indicated by the presence of pollution-tolerant bio-indicator species in the imbalanced area. The response of the lagoon ecosystem to changes in benthic sediment deposition provides a potential assessment tool for similar habitats elsewhere.     

Cell bathing medium as a target for non thermal effect of millimeter waves

Non thermal (NT) effect of direct radiation 4 Hz-modulated 90–160 GHz of Millimeter Waves (MMW) and preliminary MMW-treated physiological solution (PS) influence were studied on snail isolated neuron, rat's brain tissue hydration and skin penetration. It was shown that the 4 Hz-modulated low intensity 90–160 GHz MMW direct radiation and MMW-treated PS leads to on single neuron shrinkage, skin and brain tissue dehydration. On the basis of obtained data it was suggested that the cell bathing aqua medium serve as a target through which the NT effect of MMW on cell hydration is realized. The MMW-induced brain tissue dehydration can considering as consequence of MMW-induced skin water structural changes leading to unknown messenger formation able to modulate the brain cell hydration. The extrasensitivity of cell hydration to low intensity of MMW radiation allow to recommend cell hydration as a cellular marker for estimation of the NT biological effect of MMW on cells and organisms.     

Using species traits to assess human impacts on near shore benthic ecosystems in the Canadian Arctic

Human activities have the potential to alter the diversity and composition of biological communities in natural environments, which can cause changes in ecosystem functioning. This has led to the development of environmental assessment techniques that take into account species identity, as species can contribute differently to various ecosystem processes. Biological Traits Analysis (BTA) is used to compare the abundances of specific biological traits in samples to produce information about how ecosystem functioning may change across a specific terrestrial or aquatic system. In the present study, BTA was used to assess the influence of municipal wastewater effluent on benthic marine communities in near shore soft sediments in four locations across the Canadian Arctic Territory of Nunavut, Canada. Shifts in trait composition were assessed relative to indicators of sediment enrichment (sediment chlorophyll, organic content, degree of anoxia), and natural variation in habitat characteristics (water depth, porosity, average grain size) at a site receiving wastewater and a reference site in each sampling location. The results indicated a mild enrichment effect of wastewater, as evidenced by changes in trait composition at three of the four sites that received wastewater inputs. However, the amount of variance in trait composition explained by metrics of wastewater enrichment in these locations were generally equal to or lower than the amount of variance explained by sediment characteristics related to natural processes. These results provide greater insight into the underlying causes and consequences of human activities than more traditional methods for environmental impact assessment, and can be directly applied in a management context.     

NMR characterization of copper and lipid interactions of the C2B domain of synaptotagmin I—relevance to the non-classical secretion of the human acidic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF-1)

Human fibroblast growth factor (hFGF-1) is a ∼ 17 kDa heparin binding cytokine. It lacks the conventional hydrophobic N-terminal signal sequence and is secreted through non-classical secretion routes. Under stress, hFGF-1 is released as a multiprotein complex consisting of hFGF-1, S100A13 (a calcium binding protein), and p40 synaptotagmin (Syt1). Copper (Cu²⁺) is shown to be required for the formation of the multiprotein hFGF-1 release complex (Landriscina et al. ,2001; Di Serio et al., 2008). Syt1, containing the lipid binding C2B domain, is believed to play an important role in the eventual export of the hFGF-1 across the lipid bilayer. In this study, we characterize Cu²⁺ and lipid interactions of the C2B domain of Syt1 using multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. The results highlight how Cu²⁺ appears to stabilize the protein bound to pS vesicles. Cu²⁺ and lipid binding interface mapped using 2D ¹H-¹⁵N heteronuclear single quantum coherence experiments reveal that residues in β-strand I contributes to the unique Cu²⁺ binding site in the C2B domain. In the absence of metal ions, residues located in Loop II and β-strand IV contribute to binding to unilamelar pS vesicles. In the presence of Cu²⁺, additional residues located in Loops I and III appear to stabilize the protein-lipid interactions. The results of this study provide valuable information towards understanding the molecular mechanism of the Cu²⁺-induced non-classical secretion of hFGF-1.     

High day-to-day repeatability of lower extremity muscle activation patterns and joint biomechanics of dual-belt treadmill gait: A reliability study in healthy young adults

PurposeThe reliability of lower extremity muscle activation patterns has not been clearly studied in a dual-belt instrumented treadmill environment. The primary study objective was to quantify the day-to-day reliability of quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and gluteus medius activation patterns in healthy young adult gait. Secondarily, the reliability of spatiotemporal, and knee/hip motion and moment-based gait outcomes was assessed.Scope: 20 young adults were recruited and tested on two separate days. Using standardized procedures, participants were prepared for surface electromyography and lower extremity motion capture. All individuals walked on a dual-belt instrumented treadmill while muscle activation, segment motions and ground reaction forces were recorded. Sagittal plane motion and net external sagittal and frontal plane moments were calculated. Discrete biomechanical and muscle activation measures were calculated, and non-negative matrix factorization extracted amplitude and temporal muscle activation features. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients, Standard Error of Measurement and Minimum Detectable Change were calculated.ConclusionsHigh to excellent Intraclass correlation coefficients were found between visits for most primary and secondary outcomes. The absolute and relative reliability, including Minimum Detectable Change values, provided in this study support the use of dual-belt instrumented treadmill walking as an acceptable medium to collect biomechanical and lower extremity EMG outcomes for future studies.     

单孔、两孔及三孔胸腔镜下早期非小细胞肺癌根治术的效果比较研究

目的:通过比较不同胸腔镜手术方式治疗早期非小细胞肺癌根治术术后的相关临床指标,为临床手术方式提供经验。方法:收集我院2017年1月～2019年12月收治的行肺癌根治术的早期非小细胞肺癌病例共100例,分别采用单孔胸腔镜(40例),两孔胸腔镜(32例)及三孔胸腔镜(28例)手术方式,比较三组手术术中及术后的相关指标。结果:单孔胸腔镜组术中出血量、术后引流量明显少于两孔胸腔镜组和三孔胸腔镜组(P0.05),而两孔胸腔镜组明显少于三孔胸腔镜组(P0.05);单孔胸腔镜组术后胸管留置时间和术后住院时间均短于两孔胸腔镜组和三孔胸腔镜组(P0.05),而两孔胸腔镜组明显短于三孔胸腔镜组(P0.05)。三组组内疼痛评分术后24h低于术后12h,术后48h低于术后24h,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。三组组间不同时间点疼痛评分比较发现,单孔胸腔镜组疼痛评分低于两孔胸腔镜组和三孔胸腔镜组(P0.05),而两孔胸腔镜组低于三孔胸腔镜组(P0.05)。三组清扫淋巴结数目、淋巴结站数和术后并发症发生率差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:单孔胸腔镜早期非小细胞肺癌根治术与两孔、三孔胸腔镜手术相比优势明显,且不会显著增加术后并发症,可作为临床首选。     

不同切口超声乳化术联合小梁切除术对白内障合并青光眼患者视力、角膜内皮细胞及生活质量的影响

摘要 目的：探讨不同切口超声乳化术联合小梁切除术对白内障合并青光眼患者视力、角膜内皮细胞及生活质量的影响。方法：回顾性分析2018年4月~2019年7月期间我院收治的150例白内障合并青光眼患者的临床资料,根据手术方式的不同分为A组（n=75,单切口超声乳化术联合小梁切除术）和B组（n=75,双切口超声乳化术联合小梁切除术）。比较两组患者眼压、裸眼视力、最佳矫正视力、角膜内皮细胞、生活质量及并发症。结果：两组术后3个月健康调查简表(SF-36)各维度评分均升高,且B组高于A组（P<0.05）。两组术后3个月眼压均降低,且B组低于A组（P<0.05）;两组术后3个月裸眼视力和最佳矫正视力均升高,且B组高于A组（P<0.05）。两组术后3个月角膜内皮细胞面积均增加,但B组小于A组（P<0.05）;角膜内皮细胞密度均下降,但B组高于A组（P<0.05）。B组术后并发症总发生率低于A组（P<0.05）。结论：与单切口超声乳化术联合小梁切除术相比,白内障合并青光眼患者采用双切口超声乳化术联合小梁切除术治疗,在改善患者眼压、裸眼视力、最佳矫正视力、角膜内皮细胞、生活质量及减少并发症发生率方面的效果更佳。     

Screening of lipases for production of novel structured lipids from single cell oils

Lipids enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids are very susceptible to oxidation, causing the formation of potentially harmful oxidized products. Hence, it is critical to keep the temperature as low as possible during reaction and storage. In this study, five commercial immobilized lipases were evaluated for their capability to produce novel structured lipids (SLs) enriched with medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) through acidolysis of single cell oil (SCO) with capric acid. Among the examined lipases, NS40086 and Lipozyme RM IM showed the highest incorporation degree. The acidolysis reactions resulted in an obvious variation in the fatty acids composition as well as their positional distribution. The obtained SLs contained (33.58 %–34.09 %) capric acid at sn-1, 3 positions with increasing the content of arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position up to (49.82 %–50.25 %). The NS40086 lipase displayed 1, 3 regiospecificity towards the TAG of SCO. The acidolysis reactions using NS40086 lipase resulted in a generation of 23 TAG molecular species containing capric acid. Moreover, the NS40086 lipase was more active than Lipozyme RM IM at relatively low temperatures (35 °C and 40 °C), which could be used effectively as a promising biocatalyst in lipid synthesis.     

Novel approaches to link apicobasal polarity to cell fate specification

Understanding the development of apicobasal polarity (ABP) is a long-standing problem in biology. The molecular components involved in the development and maintenance of APB have been largely identified and are known to have ubiquitous roles across organisms. Our knowledge of the functional consequences of ABP establishment and maintenance is far less comprehensive. Recent studies using novel experimental approaches and cellular models have revealed a growing link between ABP and the genetic program of cell lineage. This mini-review describes some of the most recent advances in this new field, highlighting examples from Caenorhabditis elegans and mouse embryos, human pluripotent stem cells, and epithelial cells. We also speculate on the most interesting and challenging avenues that can be explored.