Trajectories of nutrients concentrations and ratios in the French coastal ecosystems: 20 years of changes in relation with large-scale and local drivers.

Along with their important diversity, coastal ecosystems receive various amounts of nutrients, principally arising from the continent and from the related human activities (mainly industrial and agricultural activities). During the 20th century, nutrients loads have increased following the increase of both the global population and need of services. Alongside, climate change including temperature increase or atmospheric circulation change has occurred. These processes, Ecosystem state changes are hard to monitor and predict. To study the long-term changes of nutrients concentrations in coastal ecosystems, eleven French coastal ecosystems were studied over 20 years as they encompass large climatic and land pressures, representative of temperate ecosystems, over a rather small geographical area. Both univariate (time series decomposition) and multivariate (relationships between ecosystems and drivers) statistical analyses were used to determine ecosystem trajectories as well as typologies of ecosystem trajectories. It appeared that most of the French coastal ecosystems exhibited trajectories towards a decrease in nutrients concentrations. Differences in trajectories mainly depended on continental and human influences, as well as on climatic regimes. One single ecosystem exhibited very different trajectories, the Arcachon Bay with an increase in nutrients concentrations. Ecosystem trajectories based on ordination techniques were proven to be useful tools to monitor ecosystem changes. This study highlighted the importance of local environments and the need to couple uni- and multi-ecosystem studies. Although the studied ecosystems were influenced by both local and large-scale climate, by anthropogenic activities loads, and that their trajectories were mostly similar based on their continental influence, non-negligible variations resulted from their internal functioning.

Variable inter and intraspecies alkaline phosphatase activity within single cells of revived dinoflagellates.

Adaptation of cell populations to environmental changes is mediated by phenotypic variability at the single-cell level. Enzyme activity is a key factor in cell phenotype and the expression of the alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) is a fundamental phytoplankton strategy for maintaining growth under phosphate-limited conditions. Our aim was to compare the APA among cells and species revived from sediments of the Bay of Brest (Brittany, France), corresponding to a pre-eutrophication period (1940's) and a beginning of a post-eutrophication period (1990's) during which phosphate concentrations have undergone substantial variations. Both toxic marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum and the non-toxic dinoflagellate Scrippsiella acuminata were revived from ancient sediments. Using microfluidics, we measured the kinetics of APA at the single-cell level. Our results indicate that all S. acuminata strains had significantly higher APA than A. minutum strains. For both species, the APA in the 1990's decade was significantly lower than in the 1940's. For the first time, our results reveal both inter and intraspecific variabilities of dinoflagellate APA and suggest that, at a half-century timescale, two different species of dinoflagellate may have undergone similar adaptative evolution to face environmental changes and acquire ecological advantages.

Microfluidic technology for plankton research.

Plankton produces numerous chemical compounds used in cosmetics and functional foods. They also play a key role in the carbon budget on the Earth. In a context of global change, it becomes important to understand the physiological response of these microorganisms to changing environmental conditions. Their adaptations and the response to specific environmental conditions are often restricted to a few active cells or individuals in large populations. Using analytical capabilities at the subnanoliter scale, microfluidic technology has also demonstrated a high potential in biological assays. Here, we review recent advances in microfluidic technologies to overcome the current challenges in high content analysis both at population and the single cell level.

High-Content Screening of Plankton Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Microfluidics.

One way for phytoplankton to survive orthophosphate depletion is to utilize dissolved organic phosphorus by expressing alkaline phosphatase. The actual methods to assay alkaline phosphate activity-either in bulk or as a presence/absence of enzyme activity-fail to provide information on individual living cells. In this context, we develop a new microfluidic method to compartmentalize cells in 0.5 nL water-in-oil droplets and measure alkaline phosphatase activity at the single-cell level. We use enzyme-labeled fluorescence (ELF), which is based on the hydrolysis of ELF-P substrate, to monitor in real time and at the single-cell level both qualitative and quantitative information on cell physiology (i.e., localization and number of active enzyme sites and alkaline phosphatase kinetics). We assay the alkaline phosphatase activity of Tetraselmis sp. as a function of the dissolved inorganic phosphorus concentration and show that the time scale of the kinetics spans 1 order of magnitude. The advantages of subnanoliter-scale compartmentalization in droplet-based microfluidics provide a precise characterization of a population with single-cell resolution. Our results highlight the key role of cell physiology to efficiently access dissolved organic phosphorus.

Testing a Microarray to Detect and Monitor Toxic Microalgae in Arcachon Bay in France.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur worldwide, causing health problems and economic damages to fisheries and tourism. Monitoring agencies are therefore essential, yet monitoring is based only on time-consuming light microscopy, a level at which a correct identification can be limited by insufficient morphological characters. The project MIDTAL (Microarray Detection of Toxic Algae)-an FP7-funded EU project-used rRNA genes (SSU and LSU) as a target on microarrays to identify toxic species. Furthermore, toxins were detected with a newly developed multiplex optical Surface Plasmon Resonance biosensor (Multi SPR) and compared with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In this study, we demonstrate the latest generation of MIDTAL microarrays (version 3) and show the correlation between cell counts, detected toxin and microarray signals from field samples taken in Arcachon Bay in France in 2011. The MIDTAL microarray always detected more potentially toxic species than those detected by microscopic counts. The toxin detection was even more sensitive than both methods. Because of the universal nature of both toxin and species microarrays, they can be used to detect invasive species. Nevertheless, the MIDTAL microarray is not completely universal: first, because not all toxic species are on the chip, and second, because invasive species, such as Ostreopsis, already influence European coasts.

Introduction to project MIDTAL: its methods and samples from Arcachon Bay, France.

Microalgae worldwide regularly cause harmful effects, considered from the human perspective, in that they cause health problems and economic damage to fisheries and tourism. Cyanobacteria cause similar problems in freshwaters. These episodes encompass a broad range of phenomena collectively referred to as "harmful algal blooms" (HABs). For adequate management of these phenomena, monitoring of microalgae is required. However, effective monitoring is time-consuming because cell morphology as determined by light microscopy may be insufficient to give definitive species and toxin attribution. In the European Union FP7 project MIDTAL (Microarrays for the Detection of Toxic Algae), we achieved rapid species identification using rRNA genes as the target. These regions can be targeted for probe design to recognise species or even strains. We also included antibody reactions to specific toxins produced by these microalgae because, even when cell numbers are low, toxins can be present and can accumulate in the shellfish. Microarrays are the state-of-the-art technology in molecular biology for the processing of bulk samples for detection of target RNA/DNA sequences. After 36 months, we have completed RNA-cell number-signal intensity calibration curves for 18 HAB species and the analysis of monthly field samples from five locations from year 1. Results from one location, Arcachon Bay (France), are reported here and compared favourably with cell counts in most cases. In general, the microarray was more sensitive than the cell counts, and this is likely a reflection in the difference in water volume analysed with the volume filtered for the microarray an order of magnitude greater.

Pelagic food web patterns: do they modulate virus and nanoflagellate effects on picoplankton during the phytoplankton spring bloom?

As agents of mortality, viruses and nanoflagellates impact on picoplankton populations. We examined the differences in interactions between these compartments in two French Atlantic bays. Microbes, considered here as central actors of the planktonic food web, were first monitored seasonally in Arcachon (2005) and Marennes-Oléron (2006) bays. Their dynamics were evaluated to categorize trophic periods using the models of Legendre and Rassoulzadegan as a reference framework. Microbial interactions were then compared through 48 h batch culture experiments performed during the phytoplankton spring bloom, identified as herbivorous in Marennes and multivorous in Arcachon. Marennes was spatially homogeneous compared with Arcachon. The former was potentially more productive, featuring a large number of heterotrophic pathways, while autotrophic mechanisms dominated in Arcachon. A link was found between viruses and phytoplankton in Marennes, suggesting a role of virus in the regulation of autotroph biomass. Moreover, the virus-bacteria relation was weaker in Marennes, with a bacterial lysis potential of 2.6% compared with 39% in Arcachon. The batch experiments (based on size-fractionation and viral enrichment) revealed different microbial interactions that corresponded to the spring-bloom trophic interactions in each bay. In Arcachon, where there is a multivorous web, flagellate predation and viral lysis acted in an opposite way on picophytoplankton. When together they both reduced viral production. Conversely, in Marennes (herbivorous web), flagellates and viruses together increased viral production. Differences in the composition of the bacterial community composition explained the combined flagellate-virus effects on viral production in the two bays.

[Mortality and hospital utilization due to breast cancer in Extremadura, Spain (2002-2004)]. / Mortalidad y frecuencia hospitalaria de tumor maligno de mama en Extremadura (2002-2004).

OBJECTIVE: To provide an update on breast cancer mortality and hospital utilization in the autonomous region of Extremadura (Spain). METHOD: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional study of breast cancer in Extremadura, using the minimum data set and the death register as data sources. The means and standard deviation (SD) are presented. Crude, age-specific, and standardized mortality rates were calculated and expressed as rates per 100,000 women. The potential years of life lost were also calculated. RESULTS: In the period studied, there were 413 deaths, 1,233 hospital admissions, and 1,809 discharges due to malignant breast disease. The mean age at the time of death and hospital discharge was 70.0 years (SD 14.9) and 59.9 years (SD 14.3), respectively. The mean length of hospital stay was 8.9 days (SD 6.3). A total of 3,423 potential years of life were lost. The highest mortality rates of breast cancer were observed in the health area of Llerena and the lowest in the health area of Coria. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of breast cancer mortality in Extremadura is typical of developed countries with higher mortality among older age groups. The aged-adjusted rate in Extremadura is lower than that in Spain for the period 1996-2000.

Sensitivity considerations in polarization transfer and filtering using dipole-dipole couplings: implications for biomineral systems.

The robustness and sensitivities of different polarization-transfer methods that exploit heteronuclear dipole-dipole couplings are compared for a series of heterogeneous solid systems, including polycrystalline tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)silane (TKS), adamantane, a physical mixture of doubly (13)C,(15)N-enriched and singly (13)C-enriched polycrystalline glycine, and a powder sample of siliceous marine diatoms, Thalossiosira pseudonana. The methods were analyzed according to their respective frequency-matching spectra or resultant signal intensities. For a series of (13)C{(1)H} cross-polarization experiments, adiabatic passage Hartmann-Hahn cross-polarization (APHH-CP) was shown to have several advantages over other methods, including Hartmann-Hahn cross-polarization (HHCP), variable-amplitude cross-polarization (VACP), and ramped-amplitude cross-polarization (RACP). For X-Y systems, such as (13)C{(15)N}, high and comparable sensitivities were obtained by using APHH-CP with Lee-Goldburg decoupling or by using the transferred-echo double resonance (TEDOR) experiment. The findings were applied to multinuclear (1)H, (13)C, (15)N, and (29)Si CP MAS characterization of a powder diatom sample, a challenging inorganic-organic hybrid solid that places high demands on NMR signal sensitivity.