Diversity and distribution of reptiles in Romania

The reptile fauna of Romania comprises 23 species, out of which 12 species reach here the limit of their geographic range. We compiled and updated a national database of the reptile species occurrences from a variety of sources including our own field surveys, personal communication from specialists, museum collections and the scientific literature. The occurrence records were georeferenced and stored in a geodatabase for additional analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analysis revealed a biased sampling effort concentrated in various protected areas, and deficient in the vast agricultural areas of the southern part of Romania. The patterns of species richness showed a higher number of species in the warmer and drier regions, and a relatively low number of species in the rest of the country. Our database provides a starting point for further analyses, and represents a reliable tool for drafting conservation plans.     

Anti-phospholipase C antibodies inhibit the lectin-induced proliferation of human lymphocytes

A novel approach was used to assess the role of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the mitogenic action of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or concanavalin A (ConA). The treatment of human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) with monospecific antibodies against phospholipase C (PLC) produced a dose-dependent inhibition (up to 100%) of PHA (10 g/ml) or ConA (25 g/ml) proliferative effects. Thus, the activation of membrane-bound PLC is asine-qua-non condition for lectin-induced proliferation of T lymphocytes. The key-role of PLC versus protein kinase C (PKC) is stressed by the fact that the inhibition of PKC with Hidaka's compound H-7 (40 M) produced only a partial blockade (about 25%) of lectin mitogenic effect.To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

Classification of types of ontogenetic reproduction

The object of this paper is to present an original classification of ontogenetic reproduction. The main general criterion used is the degree and type of phylogenetic differentiation. In relation to this criterion, criteria are given for the classification of the fundamental types of ontogenetic reproduction and for the classification of the types of ontogenetic generation cycles. Between the fundamental types of ontogenetic reproduction and the types of ontogenetic generation cycles there is a hierarchical relationship which shows that the former are components of the latter. Between the well-defined types of ontogenetic reproduction there exist many intermediate types.     

Characterization of a Marine Bacterium Associated with Crassostrea virginica (the Eastern Oyster)

A gram-negative bacterium found to be closely associated with oysters has been isolated and characterized. The organism, designated LST, has a generation time of 106 min in Marine broth under optimal growth conditions at 25°C. During the decline phase of growth, it exhibits a morphological transition from a motile rod (ca. 1 μm in length) to an elongated, 3- to 40-μm, nonmotile, tightly coiled helix. LST synthesizes and releases a pigment in the stationary and decline phases of growth. Identified as melanin on the basis of chemical properties and UV absorbance maxima, the pigment comprises polymers of heterogeneous molecular weights, ranging from 12,000 to 120,000. The guanosine-plus-cytosine content of the LST DNA is 46%, and results of phenetic analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization indicate that this bacterium represents a new species. LST adheres to a variety of surfaces, including glass, plastics, and oyster shell, and has been shown to promote the settlement of oyster larvae.     

Pattern of simulated snoring is different through mouth and nose

Cineradiography of the pharynx during simulated snoring was done in 6 healthy volunteers, and supraglottic pressure and flow rate were recorded in 12 others. We observed, immediately before snoring, a decrease in the sagittal diameter of the oropharynx followed, during snoring, by high-frequency oscillations of soft palate and pharyngeal walls. The pattern of soft palate oscillations was different while snoring through the nose or mouth. During inspiratory snoring through the nose, the soft palate remained in close contact with the back of the tongue and only the uvula presented high-frequency oscillations. Snoring through the mouth resulted in ample high-frequency oscillations of the whole soft palate. Frequency of airflow and supraglottic pressure oscillations was less (P less than 0.05) during mouth (28.2 +/- 7.5 Hz) than during nasal snoring (77.8 +/- 36.7 Hz). This difference may be related to the smaller oscillating mass (i.e., uvula) during nasal snoring. At variance with our previous data, which showed that snoring during sleep, in both heavy (nonapneic) snorers and obstructive sleep apnea patients, was systematically preceded by flow limitation, this was not true during simulated snoring.     

Design and preclinical testing of an anti-CD41 CAR T cell for the treatment of acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia

Acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia (AMkL) is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) representing 5% of all reported cases, and frequently diagnosed in children with Down syndrome. Patients diagnosed with AMkL have low overall survival and have poor outcome to treatment, thus novel therapies such as CAR T cell therapy could represent an alternative in treating AMkL. We investigated the effect of a new CAR T cell which targets CD41, a specific surface antigen for M7-AMkL, against an in vitro model for AMkL, DAMI Luc2 cell line. The performed flow cytometry evaluation highlighted a percentage of 93.8% CAR T cells eGFP-positive and a limited acute effect on lowering the target cell population. However, the interaction between effector and target (E:T) cells, at a low ratio, lowered the cell membrane integrity, and reduced the M7-AMkL cell population after 24 h of co-culture, while the cytotoxic effect was not significant in groups with higher E:T ratio. Our findings suggest that the anti-CD41 CAR T cells are efficient for a limited time spawn and the cytotoxic effect is visible in all experimental groups with low E:T ratio.     

An enlarged European Union challenges priority settings in conservation

Biodiversity is declining worldwide under increasing human pressure. Since the location of and the threats are unevenly distributed and the resources available for conservation are limited, prioritization is essential to reduce the losses. Most conservation efforts until now proved to be ineffective in stopping the present worldwide decline of threatened species. We focus on the European Union (EU) after the repeated enlargements in the last decade, from 15 to 27 countries, by considering the present conservation priorities that have shifted towards a continental scale approach. The situation in the EU indicates that despite the differences in wealth across countries, there are no significant differences in the number and surface of protected areas between them, so re-evaluating conservation priorities at a continental scale and a reallocation of funds is required. A major limitation in priority settings for conservation is data availability. We recommend including in the decision process data provided by phylogeographic studies. This will prevent the decline of populations and species with evolutionary potential from centres of speciation and climate refugia. Recent EU members from central and eastern Europe still retain high biodiversity with a rather good conservation status. A large number of areas with high evolutionary potential identified by phylogeographic studies are located there and should be considered priorities within the context of global changes, as a proactive approach. We recommend a periodic re-evaluation of the status of species and habitats based on current research results, harmonization between the priority species listed in the conventions, directives and Red Lists at both EU and national levels.