Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans.

The extent of increasing anthropogenic impacts on large marine vertebrates partly depends on the animals' movement patterns. Effective conservation requires identification of the key drivers of movement including intrinsic properties and extrinsic constraints associated with the dynamic nature of the environments the animals inhabit. However, the relative importance of intrinsic versus extrinsic factors remains elusive. We analyze a global dataset of ∼2.8 million locations from >2,600 tracked individuals across 50 marine vertebrates evolutionarily separated by millions of years and using different locomotion modes (fly, swim, walk/paddle). Strikingly, movement patterns show a remarkable convergence, being strongly conserved across species and independent of body length and mass, despite these traits ranging over 10 orders of magnitude among the species studied. This represents a fundamental difference between marine and terrestrial vertebrates not previously identified, likely linked to the reduced costs of locomotion in water. Movement patterns were primarily explained by the interaction between species-specific traits and the habitat(s) they move through, resulting in complex movement patterns when moving close to coasts compared with more predictable patterns when moving in open oceans. This distinct difference may be associated with greater complexity within coastal microhabitats, highlighting a critical role of preferred habitat in shaping marine vertebrate global movements. Efforts to develop understanding of the characteristics of vertebrate movement should consider the habitat(s) through which they move to identify how movement patterns will alter with forecasted severe ocean changes, such as reduced Arctic sea ice cover, sea level rise, and declining oxygen content.

The lek mating system of the worm pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis): a molecular maternity analysis and test of the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis.

The origin and maintenance of mating preferences continues to be an important and controversial topic in sexual selection research. Leks and lek-like mating systems, where individuals gather in particular spots for the sole purpose of mate choice, are particularly puzzling, because the strong directional selection imposed by mate choice should erode genetic variation among competing individuals and negate any benefit for the choosing sex. Here, we take advantage of the lek-like mating system of the worm pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis) to test the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis for the maintenance of mating preferences. We use microsatellite markers to perform a parentage analysis, along with a mark-recapture study, to confirm that the worm pipefish has an unusual mating system that strongly resembles a female lek, where females display and males visit the lek to choose mates. Our results show that the most highly ornamented females occupy positions near the centre of the breeding area, and males mating with these females receive fuller broods with larger eggs compared to males mating with less-ornamented females. We also conduct a laboratory experiment to show that female ornaments are condition-dependent and honestly signal reproductive potential. Overall, these results are consistent with the predictions of a sex-independent version of the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis, as male preference for female ornaments correlates with fertility benefits.

Pterodon pubescens oil: characterisation, certification of origin and quality control via mass spectrometry fingerprinting analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The oil obtained from Pterodon pubescens (Leguminosae) seeds are known to display anti-cancer, anti-dermatogenic and anti-nociceptive activitiy. Phytochemical studies have demonstrated that its main constituents are diterpenoids with voucapan skeletons. Considering the potential biological activities of the oil, rapid and efficient methods for assessing its quality would facilitate certification and quality control. OBJECTIVE: To develop a direct mass spectrometric fingerprinting method for the P. pubescens seed oil that would focus on the major diterpenoids constituents, enabling quality control, origin certification and recognition of marker species in commercially available products. METHOD: Two techniques were used: (i) direct infusion electrospray ionisation (ESI) mass spectrometry after solvent extraction and dilution and (ii) ambient desorption/ionisation via easy ambient sonic-spray ionisation, EASI(+)-MS, performed directly on the seed surface or at a paper surface imprinted with the oil. RESULTS: From a combination of ESI-MS, HRESI-MS and ESI-MS/MS data, 12 diterpenes were characterised, and typical profiles were obtained for the oil extract or the crude oil via both ESI-MS and EASI-MS. These techniques require no or very simple sample preparation protocols and the whole analytical processes with spectra acquisition take just a few minutes. CONCLUSION: Both techniques, but particularly EASI-MS, provide simple, fast and efficient MS fingerprinting methodologies to characterise the P. pubescens oil with typical (di)terpene profiles being applicable to quality control and certification of authenticity and origin.

Oceans apart? Short-term movements and behaviour of adult bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas in Atlantic and Pacific Oceans determined from pop-off satellite archival tagging.

Adult bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas were monitored with electronic tags to investigate horizontal and vertical movements in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In both locations, C. leucas showed some fidelity to specific coastal areas with only limited horizontal movements away from the tagging sites after tag attachment. Fish tagged in the Bahamas were detected mostly in the upper 20 m of the water column in water 25-26° C, whereas C. leucas tagged in Fiji spent most of their time below 20 m in water usually >26° C. The results highlight the importance of coastal inshore habitats for this species.

CLA-supplemented diet accelerates experimental colorectal cancer by inducing TGF-ß-producing macrophages and T cells.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to activate the nuclear receptor PPAR-γ and modulate metabolic and immune functions. Despite the worldwide use of CLA dietary supplementation, strong scientific evidence for its proposed beneficial actions are missing. We found that CLA-supplemented diet reduced mucosal damage and inflammatory infiltrate in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis model. Conditional deletion of PPAR-γ in macrophages from mice supplemented with CLA diet resulted in loss of this protective effect of CLA, suggesting a PPAR-γ-dependent mechanism mediated by macrophages. However, CLA supplementation significantly worsened colorectal tumor formation induced by azoxymethane and DSS by inducing macrophage and T-cell-producing TGF-ß via PPAR-γ activation. Accordingly, either macrophage-specific deletion of PPAR-γ or in vivo neutralization of latency-associated peptide (LAP, a membrane-bound TGF-ß)-expressing cells abrogated the protumorigenic effect of CLA. Thus, the anti-inflammatory properties of CLA are associated with prevention of colitis but also with development of colorectal cancer.

Derivatives of furanditerpenes from Pterodon genus: Pharmacological studies disclose their potential as chronic pain relief in mice.

Pterodon genus fruits are commercially available at the Brazilian medicinal market used in folk medicine due to their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-rheumatic effects. Previous studies demonstrated that furanditerpenes possessing vouacapan skeleton, isolated from Pterodon genus, possess expressive antinociceptive activities, with promising moiety for the development of new analgesic products. The antinociceptive properties of compounds 6α,7ß-6α-hidroxivouacapan-7ß-17ß-lactone (HVL) and 6α-oxovouacapan-7ß-17ß-lactone (OVL), semi-synthetic analogues of furanditerpenes previously reported as analgesic agents were evaluated on animal experimental models (Spindola et al., 2010, 2011). The chemical-induced pain methods used in the present work, demonstrated for the first time that both compounds HVL and OVL have potential as important templates for the development of chronic pain control drugs. The main findings of this work were that both compounds were: effective in the writhing test; reduced paw edema in the carrageenan test; effective in the inflammatory phase of the formalin test corroborating their activity against inflammatory pain conditions; effective on reducing pain through the stimulation of vanilloid receptors sensible to capsaicin (an important pathway for chronic pain maintenance); reduced the pain stimulus caused by PGE2 injection (a pathway involved in chronic pain hypersensitivity); effective on decreasing mechanical allodynia in the CFA-model, demonstrating their potential use against chronic pain disorders.

Prolonged measurement improves the assessment of the barrier function of the esophago-gastric junction by high-resolution manometry.

BACKGROUND: Etiology of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is multifactorial, but incompetence of the esophago-gastric junction (EGJ) appears to be of crucial importance. Established manometric parameters for assessment of EGJ barrier function are sub-optimal, potentially because they reflect only a very brief (up to 30 seconds), not necessarily representative period. This prospective, case-control study tested the performance of novel, high-resolution manometry (HRM) parameters of EGJ function in the assessment of GERD. METHODS: Patients with reflux symptoms and healthy controls (HC) underwent standard HRM and 24-hour pH±impedance measurements. EGJ morphology, lower esophageal sphincter pressure integral (LES-PI), EGJ contractile integral (EGJ-CI) were compared with total-EGJ-CI, a novel parameter summarizing EGJ barrier function during the entire HRM protocol. Esophageal acid exposure ≥4.2%/24 h (A-Reflux-pos) or ≥73 reflux episodes in 24 hours (V-Reflux-pos) were considered pathological. KEY RESULTS: Sixty five HC and 452 patients completed HRM, 380 (84%) patients underwent ambulatory reflux-monitoring. LES-PI, EGJ-CI and total-EGJ-CI correlated with EGJ morphology subtypes (all P<.00001). Only total-EGJ-CI was consistently lower in A-Reflux-pos and V-Reflux-pos subjects compared with HC and patients without GERD. Total-EGJ-CI was also the single best parameter for prediction of pathological reflux (optimal cut-off 47 mmHg cm, AUC 0.746, P<.0001). This cut-off value, approximately 1 SD below the mean normal value, showed modest sensitivity 54% and positive predictive value 46%, but good specificity 85% and negative predictive value 89% for GERD diagnosis. CONCLUSION & INFERENCES: Total EGJ-CI, a new metric that summarizes EGJ contractility over time, allows an improved assessment of EGJ barrier function. Pathological reflux is unlikely if this metric is within the upper two-thirds of the normal range.

Detection of Leishmania (L.) chagasi in canine skin.

Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is caused by a protozoa parasite of the specie Leishmania (L.) chagasi endemic for humans and dogs in many regions of Brazil. The purpose of the present study was the detection of (L.) chagasi in canine skin tissues from three different groups of clinical signs: asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic and polysymptomatic Leishmania-infected dogs. Lesional or non-lesional skin tissue samples from 34 naturally infected dogs were obtained and processed by histochemistry (HE) and immunohistochemistry (IMHC) for direct parasitological examination and the results were compared with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. IMHC and HE methods detected intact Leishmania-amastigote parasites in lesional and no lesional skin, particularly in asymptomatic and oligosymptomatic dogs. 50% of skin samples collected from asymptomatic and 21.4% from oligosymptomatic dogs had parasites in their skins even though with mild inflammatory reaction or without any macroscopic dermatological alterations. On the other hand, 100% of polysymptomatic dogs showed several forms of clinical dermatological alterations and 91.7% had intact amastigotes with parasite load ranging from mild to intense. By PCR, DNA of Leishmania spp. was detected in 97.8% skin samples regardless clinical status of the dogs or IMHC/HE test results. PCR on skin was a sensitive procedure for CVL diagnosis, but direct observation of intact parasite in skin biopsies, particularly by IMHC, may be also considered to support the diagnosis.

Increased levels of glutamate in the central nervous system are associated with behavioral symptoms in experimental malaria.

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication resulting from Plasmodium falciparum infection. This condition has been associated with cognitive, behavioral and motor dysfunctions, seizures and coma. The underlying mechanisms of CM are incompletely understood. Glutamate and other metabolites such as lactate have been implicated in its pathogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of glutamate in the behavioral symptoms of CM. Seventeen female C57BL/6 mice (20-25 g) aged 6-8 weeks were infected with P. berghei ANKA by the intraperitoneal route using a standardized inoculation of 106 parasitized red blood cells suspended in 0.2 mL PBS. Control animals (N = 17) received the same volume of PBS. Behavioral and neurological symptoms were analyzed by the SmithKline/Harwell/Imperial College/Royal Hospital/Phenotype Assessment (SHIRPA) battery. Glutamate release was measured in the cerebral cortex and cerebrospinal fluid of infected and control mice by fluorimetric assay. All functional categories of the SHIRPA battery were significantly altered in the infected mice at 6 days post-infection (dpi) (P ≤ 0.05). In parallel to CM symptoms, we found a significant increase in glutamate levels in the cerebral cortex (mean ± SEM; control: 11.62 ± 0.90 nmol/mg protein; infected at 3 dpi: 10.36 ± 1.17 nmol/mg protein; infected at 6 dpi: 26.65 ± 0.73 nmol/mg protein; with EGTA, control: 5.60 ± 1.92 nmol/mg protein; infected at 3 dpi: 6.24 ± 1.87 nmol/mg protein; infected at 6 dpi: 14.14 ± 0.84 nmol/mg protein) and in the cerebrospinal fluid (control: 128 ± 51.23 pmol/mg protein; infected: 301.4 ± 22.52 pmol/mg protein) of infected mice (P ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest a role of glutamate in the central nervous system dysfunction found in CM.

Increased levels of glutamate in the central nervous system are associated with behavioral symptoms in experimental malaria

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication resulting from Plasmodium falciparum infection. This condition has been associated with cognitive, behavioral and motor dysfunctions, seizures and coma. The underlying mechanisms of CM are incompletely understood. Glutamate and other metabolites such as lactate have been implicated in its pathogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of glutamate in the behavioral symptoms of CM. Seventeen female C57BL/6 mice (20-25 g) aged 6-8 weeks were infected with P. berghei ANKA by the intraperitoneal route using a standardized inoculation of 10(6) parasitized red blood cells suspended in 0.2 mL PBS. Control animals (N = 17) received the same volume of PBS. Behavioral and neurological symptoms were analyzed by the SmithKline/Harwell/Imperial College/Royal Hospital/Phenotype Assessment (SHIRPA) battery. Glutamate release was measured in the cerebral cortex and cerebrospinal fluid of infected and control mice by fluorimetric assay. All functional categories of the SHIRPA battery were significantly altered in the infected mice at 6 days post-infection (dpi) (P ≤ 0.05). In parallel to CM symptoms, we found a significant increase in glutamate levels in the cerebral cortex (mean ± SEM; control: 11.62 ± 0.90 nmol/mg protein; infected at 3 dpi: 10.36 ± 1.17 nmol/mg protein; infected at 6 dpi: 26.65 ± 0.73 nmol/mg protein; with EGTA, control: 5.60 ± 1.92 nmol/mg protein; infected at 3 dpi: 6.24 ± 1.87 nmol/mg protein; infected at 6 dpi: 14.14 ± 0.84 nmol/mg protein) and in the cerebrospinal fluid (control: 128 ± 51.23 pmol/mg protein; infected: 301.4 ± 22.52 pmol/mg protein) of infected mice (P ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest a role of glutamate in the central nervous system dysfunction found in CM.