Hundred and eighty years of fleet dynamics in the Belgian sea fisheries

Understanding the impact of fisheries on the commercial fish stocks requires detailed catch statistics and data on the dynamics of fleet and catch effort, at least before industrial fishing started. Most time-series on the fleet dynamics start after the 1980s, at times when major changes in fleet characteristics had already taken place. In the present paper, the results of the integration of data on fleet size (from 1830), tonnage (from 1842) and engine power (kW, from 1912) of the Belgian sea fisheries fleet are presented. The decrease in fleet size and changes in overall tonnage and engine power since the beginning of the reconstructed time-series, are quantified. The data show that the decrease in fleet size (?85 %) and in overall engine power (?5 %) was compensated by an increase in average tonnage per vessel (×10 increase) and in average engine power per vessel (×6 increase). The overall fishing effort of the fleet expressed as the total number of days spent at sea has decreased by approximately ?84 % between 1938 and 2010, while the average amount of fish landed per day per vessel (1,000 kg in 2008–2010) has at least doubled in the same period. The data reconstruction provides a unique view on the dynamics in the sea fisheries fleet of Belgium over 180 years and the political and social events associated to these changes.     

Phylogenetic relationships within the Mysidae (Crustacea, Peracarida, Mysida) based on nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA sequences

Species of the order Mysida (Crustacea, Peracarida) are shrimp-like animals that occur in vast numbers in coastal regions of the world. The order Mysida comprises 1,053 species and 165 genera. The present study covers 25 species of the well-defined Mysidae, the most speciose family within the order Mysida. 18S rRNA sequence analysis confirms that the subfamily Siriellinae is monophyletic. On the other hand the subfamily Gastrosaccinae is paraphyletic and the subfamily Mysinae, represented in this study by the tribes Mysini and Leptomysini, consistently resolves into three independent clades, and hence is clearly not monophyletic. The tribe Mysini is not monophyletic either, and forms two clades of which one appears to be closely related to the Leptomysini. Our results are concordant with a number of morphological differences urging a taxonomic revision of the Mysidae.     

In vivo imaging of apoptosis in oncology: an update

In this review, data on noninvasive imaging of apoptosis in oncology are reviewed. Imaging data available are presented in order of occurrence in time of enzymatic and morphologic events occurring during apoptosis. Available studies suggest that various radiopharmaceutical probes bear great potential for apoptosis imaging by means of positron emission tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). However, for several of these probes, thorough toxicologic studies are required before they can be applied in clinical studies. Both preclinical and clinical studies support the notion that 99mTc-hydrazinonicotinamide-annexin A5 and SPECT allow for noninvasive, repetitive, quantitative apoptosis imaging and for assessing tumor response as early as 24 hours following treatment instigation. Bioluminescence imaging and near-infrared fluorescence imaging have shown great potential in small-animal imaging, but their usefulness for in vivo imaging in humans is limited to structures superficially located in the human body. Although preclinical tumor-based data using high-frequency-ultrasonography (US) are promising, whether or not US will become a routinely clinically useful tool in the assessment of therapy response in oncology remains to be proven. The potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for imaging late apoptotic processes is currently unclear. Neither 31P MRS nor 1H MRS signals seems to be a unique identifier for apoptosis. Although MRI-measured apparent diffusion coefficients are altered in response to therapies that induce apoptosis, they are also altered by nonapoptotic cell death, including necrosis and mitotic catastrophe. In the future, rapid progress in the field of apoptosis imaging in oncology is expected.     

A novel model of cryoinjury-induced myocardial infarction in the mouse: a comparison with coronary artery ligation

Mouse myocardial infarction (MI) models are frequently used research tools. The most commonly applied model is coronary artery ligation. However, coronary ligation often gives rise to apical aneurysmatic infarcts of variable size. Other infarct models include cryoinfarction, which produces reproducible infarcts of the anterior wall. Thus far, this model has not been extensively described in mice. Therefore, we developed a murine cryoinfarction model and compared it with coronary ligation. Studies were performed under isoflurane anesthesia with a follow-up of 4 and 8 wk. Cryoinfarction was induced using a 2- or 3-mm cryoprobe. Two-dimensional guided M-mode echocardiography was used to assess fractional shortening and left ventricular (LV) dimensions at baseline and end point. At end point, hemodynamics were assessed using a 1.4-Fr Millar catheter. Pressure-diameter relations were constructed by combining echocardiography and hemodynamic data. Histological and morphometric analyses of infarct and remote areas were performed. At 4 wk, 3-mm cryoinfarction resulted in decreased LV fractional shortening as well as decreased global LV contractility and relaxation, which was comparable with coronary ligation. No adverse remodeling was observed at this time point, in contrast with the ligation model. However, progressive LV remodeling occured between 4 and 8 wk after cryoinfarction with a further decline in hemodynamic parameters and LV pump function. Histologically, cryoinfarction resulted in highly reproducible, transmural, cone-shaped infarcts with reperfusion at the macrovascular level. These results indicate that the cryoinfarction model represents the anterior myocardial infarct with modest adverse remodeling and may thus be representative for infarcts encountered in clinical practice.     

Frequency encoded biochemical regulation is more accurate than amplitude dependent control

It is generally recognised in engineering that encoding information in a frequency provides resistance to degradation by noise and an enhanced precision of control. This paper demonstrates how the same arguments can be applied to biochemical control networks. It shows that the conversion of an analogue demand signal to an oscillation is stable against corruption by noise in the input and even against corruption by certain internal chaotic motions. The paper also argues that intracellular transmission of frequency encoded information is robust against noise. These arguments are proposed as a partial explanation of why so many biological regulatory systems are periodic.     

Expression and prognostic value of glucose transporters and hexokinases in tonsil and mobile tongue squamous cell carcinoma

The aim of this study was to assess the expression pattern and prognostic value of the high affinity glucose transporters GLUT-1, 3, 4, 8 and 9, SGLT-1 and of hexokinases (HK) I, II and III in squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil and mobile tongue (TTSCC) by means of immunohistochemistry. Seventy-one consecutive patients suffering from TTSCC were included. The intensity and amount of positive tumour cells in the immunoreaction (histology score (H-score)) for GLUT-1, 3, 4, 8 and 9 as well as for HK-I, II and III were assessed independently by two experienced observers, blinded to the clinical results. H-scores as well as clinical variables were related to patient outcome. Median follow-up time was 49 months (range 1-123 months). Mean H-scores for GLUT expression in decreasing order of magnitude were respectively 10.99 for GLUT-1 (sd 3.9), 5.7 for GLUT-8 (sd 4.0), 5.4 for GLUT-3 (sd 3.7), 1.0 for GLUT-4 (sd 2.0), 1.1 (sd 1.3) for SGLT-1, and 0.4 for GLUT-9 (sd 0.6); GLUT-1 > GLUT-8 = GLUT-3 > GLUT-4 = GLUT-9 = SGLT-1 (with > meaning significantly (p<0.05 on ANOVA + posthoc Bonferroni correction) higher than and =, meaning not significantly different from). Mean H-scores for hexokinase expression were respectively 5.8 for HK-I (sd 3.5), 4.6 for HK-II (sd 3.0) and 2.0 for HK-III (sd 2.0); HK-I > HK-II > HK-III. Finally high H-scores for GLUT-4 were favourably related to disease-free and overall survival on multivariate analysis. To conclude, TTSCC expresses a wide variety of glucose transporter systems and hexokinase enzymes with the "housekeeping" GLUT-1 and HK-I being the most intensely expressed. GLUT-4 over-expression appears to confer a favourable prognosis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil and mobile tongue. Additional studies confirming this finding in larger cohorts of patients are mandatory.     

Parameter-dependent transitions and the optimal control of dynamical diseases

Many theoretical studies in biological and physical sciences consider the dynamical behavior of ann-dimensional ordinary differential equation that contains a large number of independent parameters. A frequently asked question is, are there permissible parameter sets that result in periodic or chaotic behavior? The large number of distinct parameters often limits the feasibility of trial and error calculations. The large dimension and nonlinearity of the system make application of analytic methods at best difficult and at worst effectively impossible. It is shown here that a computational search for parameter-dependent transitions of attractor topology can be effected by constrained optimization of quantitative measures of dynamical behavior (Hurwitz polynomials, Floquet coefficients, Lyapunov exponents and correlation dimension). As an example, we examine a three-dimensional nonlinear ordinary differential equation containing seven parameters that was constructed by Goldbeter and Segel to model periodic synthesis of cyclic AMP inDictyostelium. A search for bifurcations to periodic solutions is made by minimizing Hurwitz coefficients subject to parameter constraints. By comparing four optimization algorithms, the defects and advantages of the procedure are identified. It is also argued that it may be possible to use this characterization of dynamics to construct optimal responses to dynamical diseases (those disorders that result from parameter-dependent bifurcations in physiological control systems).     

Paranormal healing and hypertension

A prospective randomised trial was carried out to see whether paranormal healing by laying on of hands might reduce blood pressure in essential hypertension and whether such an effect might be due to a paranormal, psychological, or placebo factor. Patients were randomised to three treatment groups: paranormal healing by laying on of hands (n=40), paranormal healing at a distance (n=37), and no paranormal healing (controls; n=38). Healing at a distance and no paranormal healing were investigated double blind. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced in all three groups at week 15 (mean reduction (95% confidence interval) 17·1 (14·0 to 20·2)/8·3 (6·6 to 10·0) mm Hg). Only the successive reductions in diastolic blood pressures among the groups from week to week were significantly different. Each week diastolic pressure was consistently lower (average 1·9 mm Hg) after healing at a distance compared with control, but on paired comparison these differences were not significant. Probably week to week variations among the groups accounted for any differences noted.In this study no treatment was consistently better than another and the data cannot therefore be taken as evidence of a paranormal effect on blood pressure. Probably the fall in blood pressure in all three groups either was caused by the psychosocial approach or was a placebo effect of the trial itself.