Magnetically Controlled Carbonate Nanocomposite with Ciprofloxacin for Biofilm Eradication.

Biofilms are the reason for a vast majority of chronic inflammation cases and most acute inflammation. The treatment of biofilms still is a complicated task due to the low efficiency of drug delivery and high resistivity of the involved bacteria to harmful factors. Here we describe a magnetically controlled nanocomposite with a stimuli-responsive release profile based on calcium carbonate and magnetite with an encapsulated antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) that can be used to solve this problem. The material magnetic properties allowed targeted delivery, accumulation, and penetration of the composite in the biofilm, as well as the rapid triggered release of the entrapped antibiotic. Under the influence of an RF magnetic field with a frequency of 210 kHz, the composite underwent a phase transition from vaterite into calcite and promoted the release of ciprofloxacin. The effectiveness of the composite was tested against formed biofilms of E. coli and S. aureus and showed a 71% reduction in E. coli biofilm biomass and an 85% reduction in S. aureus biofilms. The efficiency of the composite with entrapped ciprofloxacin was higher than for the free antibiotic in the same concentration, up to 72%. The developed composite is a promising material for the treatment of biofilm-associated inflammations.

Amplicon metagenomics of dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) as a proxy for lemur (Primates, Lemuroidea) studies in Madagascar.

Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) are among the most cost-effective and informative biodiversity indicator groups, conveying rich information about the status of habitats and faunas of an area. Yet their use for monitoring the mammal species, that are the main providers of the food for the dung beetles, has only recently been recognized. In the present work, we studied the diet of four endemic Madagascan dung beetles (Helictopleurusfissicollis (Fairmaire), H.giganteus (Harold), Nanosagaboides (Boucomont), and Epilissussplendidus Fairmaire) using high-throughput sequencing and amplicon metagenomics. For all beetle species, the ⅔-¾ of reads belonged to humans, suggesting that human feces are the main source of food for the beetles in the examined areas. The second most abundant were the reads of the cattle (Bostaurus Linnaeus). We also found lower but significant number of reads of six lemur species belonging to three genera. Our sampling localities agree well with the known ranges of these lemur species. The amplicon metagenomics method proved a promising tool for the lemur inventories in Madagascar.

Metabolic Tolerance to Atmospheric Pressure of Two Freshwater Endemic Amphipods Mostly Inhabiting the Deep-Water Zone of the Ancient Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal is the only freshwater reservoir inhabited by deep-water fauna, which originated mostly from shallow-water ancestors. Ommatogammarus flavus and O. albinus are endemic scavenger amphipods (Amphipoda, Crustacea) dwelling in wide depth ranges of the lake covering over 1300 m. O. flavus had been previously collected close to the surface, while O. albinus has never been found above the depth of 47 m. Since O. albinus is a promising model species for various research, here we tested whether O. albinus is less metabolically adapted to atmospheric pressure than O. flavus. We analyzed a number of energy-related traits (contents of glucose, glycogen and adenylates, as well as lactate dehydrogenase activity) and oxidative stress markers (activities of antioxidant enzymes and levels of lipid peroxidation products) after sampling from different depths and after both species' acclimation to atmospheric pressure. The analyses were repeated in two independent sampling campaigns. We found no consistent signs of metabolic disturbances or oxidative stress in both species right after lifting. Despite O. flavus surviving slightly better in laboratory conditions, during long-term acclimation, both species showed comparable reactions without critical changes. Thus, the obtained data favor using O. albinus along with O. flavus for physiological research under laboratory conditions.

Biomechanical behaviour of PEDOT:PSS-based hydrogels as an electrode for stent integrated enzyme biofuel cells.

The possibility of creating a biofuel cell based on a metal stent was shown in this study. Given the existing stent implantation approaches, the integration of a biofuel cell into a stent naturally entails capacity for biofuel cells to be installed into a human body. As a counter electrode, a hydrogel based on iota-carrageenan, polyvinyl alcohol, and PEDOT:PSS, with an immobilized glucose oxidase enzyme, was proposed. Tension tests demonstrated that the hydrogel mechanical behavior resembles that of a bovine's vein. To obtain an analytical description, the deformation curves were fitted using Gent and Ogden models, prompting the fitting parameters which can be useful in further investigations. During cyclic biaxial studies the samples strength was shown to decreases insignificantly in the first 50 cycles and, further, remains stable up to more than 100 cycles. The biofuel cell was designed with the PEDOT:PSS based material as an anode and a Co-Cr self-expanding stent as a cathode. The maximum biofuel cell power density with a glucose concentration of 5 mM was 7.87 × 10-5 W in phosphate buffer and 3.98 × 10-5 W in blood mimicking buffer. Thus, the biofuel cell integration in the self-expanding stent was demonstrated.

Identification of larvae of two Aphodius Helwig, 1798 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) species using morphology and DNA barcode.

The third instar larvae of Aphodius (Alocoderus) hydrochaeris (Fabricius, 1798) and A. (Bodilus) ictericus (Laicharting, 1781) are described based on scanning electron microscopy and COI sequences. COI barcode sequence for A. (A.) hydrohaeris is provided for the first time. Two haplotypes are discovered in A. (B.) ictericus.

A new species of the endemic Madagascan scarab beetle genus, Madecorphnus grebennikovi (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae): morphological description and DNA barcode.

A new species of the orphnine scarab beetle genus Madecorphnus Paulian, 1992, Madecorphnus grebennikovi Frolov, Akhmetova Vishnevskaya, new species, is described from the Marojejy National Park, Sava Region, northeastern Madagascar. The new species can be distinguished from the congeners by the parameres narrowly rounded in lateral view and having a small but distinct lateral teeth, and by the endophallic armature consisting of 1) a long straight sclerite with attached to its end a 2/3 shorted, somewhat curved sclerite, 2) separate smaller, elongate sclerite, and 3) a rather large area of microspinules. The 811 bp long fragment of the mitochondrial gene COI (DNA barcode) is provided as a part of the diagnosis of the new species. An updated key to the Madecorphnus species is given.

23rd International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics (23 ICACG) June 9-12, 2018, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

In memory of Ingemar Gustavsson 23rd International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics (23 ICACG) took place in June 9-12, 2018 in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Organized biennially, the Colloquium runs from 1970. From its very start this meeting is associated with the name of Ingemar Gustavsson to whom we dedicated the Colloquium 2018. The long and productive career of Ingemar Gustavsson had focused on chromosomes and their fundamental role in animal physiology, fertility, health and production in the context of agriculture and veterinary medicine. His meticulous analysis of breeding data performed back in 1964-69 resulted in the unequivocal identification of an association between heterozygosity for the 1/29 translocation in Swedish cattle and reduction in the fertility of the breed. Eventually, the argument in favor of selective elimination of bulls carrying the translocation from the breeding programs prevailed and the field of modern veterinary cytogenetics was established. Participants from fourteen different countries attended the 23 ICACG in Russia, the country having long lasting traditions in cytogenetics and the Scientific schools of N.K. Koltzov, S.S. Chetverikov and A.S. Serebrovsky, geneticists who made important conceptual contributions to studies of chromosomes and genes, population genetics and evolutionary theory as early as in the beginning of the XX-th century. All the abstracts received were subdivided between plenary and seven scientific sessions covering the issues in evolutionary and comparative cytogenetics, cytogenetics and genomes of domestic animals, meiosis studies, particular chromosome analyses, clinical cytogenetics, karyotypes and genomes of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, chromatin studies. In the abstract text below each presentation is marked with a capital letter: "L" stands for lectures, "O" for oral presentations and "P" for poster presentations. We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Saint-Petersburg Association of Scientists and Scholars (SPbSU), Veterinary Genetics Center ZOOGEN, Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), VEUK, Helicon, Axioma BIO, BioVitrum, Sartorius, DIA-M companies. The current collected abstracts comprise written contributions of the presentations during the 23 ICACG and were edited by Svetlana Galkina and Maria Vishnevskaya. The next Colloquium - 24 ICACG - will be held at the University of Kent in Canterbury (UK) in 2020. Please, cite abstracts as follows: Gall JG (2018) Giant chromosomes and deep sequences: what the amphibian egg tells us about transcription. In: Galkina SA, Vishnevskaya MS, Mikhailova EI (Eds) 23rd Inernational Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics (23rdICACG), June 9-12, 2018, St Petersburg, Russia. Comparative Cytogenetics 12(3): p-p. https://doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v12i3.27748.

Karyosystematics and molecular taxonomy of the anomalous blue butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from the Balkan Peninsula.

The Balkan Peninsula represents one of the hottest biodiversity spots in Europe. However, the invertebrate fauna of this region is still insufficiently investigated, even in respect of such well-studied organisms as Lepidoptera. Here we use a combination of chromosomal, molecular and morphological markers to rearrange the group of so-called anomalous blue butterflies (also known as 'brown complex' of the subgenus Agrodiaetus Hübner, [1822] and as the Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) admetus (Esper, 1783) species group) and to reveal its cryptic taxonomic structure. We demonstrate that Polyommatus aroaniensis (Brown, 1976) is not as widespread in the Balkans as was previously thought. In fact, it has a dot-like distribution range restricted to the Peloponnese Peninsula in South Greece. Polyommatus orphicus Kolev, 2005 is not as closely related to the Turkish species Polyommatus dantchenkoi (Lukhtanov & Wiemers, 2003) as was supposed earlier. Instead, it is a Balkan endemic represented by two subspecies: Polyommatus orphicus orphicus (Bulgaria) and Polyommatus orphicus eleniae Coutsis & De Prins, 2005 (Northern Greece). Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830) is represented in the Balkans by an endemic subspecies Polyommatus ripartii pelopi. The traditionally recognized Polyommatus admetus (Esper, 1783) is shown to be a heterogeneous complex and is divided into Polyommatus admetus sensu stricto (the Balkans and west Turkey) and Polyommatus yeranyani (Dantchenko & Lukhtanov, 2005) (east Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran). Polyommatus nephohiptamenos (Brown & Coutsis, 1978) is confirmed to be a species with a dot-like distribution range in Northern Greece. Finally, from Central Greece (Timfristos and Parnassos mountains) we describe Polyommatus timfristos Lukhtanov, Vishnevskaya & Shapoval, sp. n. which differs by its haploid chromosome number (n=38) from the closely related and morphologically similar Polyommatus aroaniensis (n=47-48) and Polyommatus orphicus (n=41-42). We provide chromosomal evidence for three separate south Balkan Pleistocene refugia (Peloponnesse, Central Greece and Northern Greece/South Bulgaria) and stress the biogeographic importance of Central Greece as a place of diversification. Then we argue that the data obtained have direct implications for butterfly karyology, taxonomy, biogeography and conservation.