Increased serum levels of eotaxin/CCL11 in late-stage patients with bipolar disorder: an accelerated aging biomarker?

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is commonly comorbid with many medical disorders including atopy, and appears characterized by progressive social, neurobiological, and functional impairment associated with increasing number of episodes and illness duration. Early and late stages of BD may present different biological features and may therefore require different treatment strategies. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of eotaxin/CCL11, eotaxin-2/CCL24, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, IFNγ, BDNF, TBARS, carbonyl, and GPx in a sample of euthymic patients with BD at early and late stages compared to controls. METHODS: Early-stage BD patients, 12 late-stage patients, and 25 controls matched for sex and age were selected. 10mL of peripheral blood was drawn from all subjects by venipuncture. Serum levels of BDNF, TBARS, carbonyl content, glutathione-peroxidase activity (GPx), cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α and IFNγ), and chemokines (eotaxin/CCL11 and eotaxin-2/CCL24) were measured. RESULTS: There were no demographic differences between patients and controls. No significant differences were found for any of the biomarkers, except chemokine eotaxin/CCL11, whose serum levels were higher in late-stage patients with BD when compared to controls (p=0.022; Mann-Whitney U test). LIMITATIONS: Small number of subjects and use of medication may have influenced in our results. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests a link between biomarkers of atopy and eosinophil function and bipolar disorder. These findings are also in line with progressive biological changes partially mediated by inflammatory imbalance, a process referred to as neuroprogression.

Online mindfulness-based intervention for late-stage bipolar disorder: pilot evidence for feasibility and effectiveness

OBJECTIVES: People in the late stage of bipolar disorder (BD) experience elevated relapse rates and poorer quality of life (QoL) compared with those in the early stages. Existing psychological interventions also appear less effective in this group. To address this need, we developed a new online mindfulness-based intervention targeting quality of life (QoL) in late stage BD. Here, we report on an open pilot trial of ORBIT (online, recovery-focused, bipolar individual therapy). METHODS: Inclusion criteria were: self-reported primary diagnosis of BD, six or more episodes of BD, under the care of a medical practitioner, access to the internet, proficient in English, 18-65 years of age. Primary outcome was change (baseline - post-treatment) on the Brief QoL.BD (Michalak and Murray, 2010). Secondary outcomes were depression, anxiety, and stress measured on the DASS scales (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1993). RESULTS: Twenty-six people consented to participate (Age M=46.6 years, SD=12.9, and 75% female). Ten participants were lost to follow-up (38.5% attrition). Statistically significant improvement in QoL was found for the completers, t(15)=2.88, 95% CI:.89-5.98, p=.011, (Cohen׳s dz=.72, partial η(2)=.36), and the intent-to-treat sample t(25)=2.65, 95% CI:.47-3.76, (Cohen׳s dz=.52; partial η(2)=.22). A non-significant trend towards improvement was found on the DASS anxiety scale (p=.06) in both completer and intent-to-treat samples, but change on depression and stress did not approach significance. LIMITATIONS: This was an open trial with no comparison group, so measured improvements may not be due to specific elements of the intervention. Structured diagnostic assessments were not conducted, and interpretation of effectiveness was limited by substantial attrition. CONCLUSION: Online delivery of mindfulness-based psychological therapy for late stage BD appears feasible and effective, and ORBIT warrants full development. Modifications suggested by the pilot study include increasing the 3 weeks duration of the intervention, adding cautions about the impact of extended meditations, and addition of coaching support/monitoring to optimise engagement.

Integrated Sr isotope variations and global environmental changes through the late permian to early late triassic

New ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data based on 127 well-preserved and well-dated conodont samples from South China were measured using a new technique (LA-MC-ICPMS) based on single conodont albid crown analysis. These reveal a spectacular climb in seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios during the Early Triassic that was the most rapid of the Phanerozoic. The rapid increase began in Bed 25 of the Meishan section (GSSP of the Permian-Triassic boundary, PTB), and coincided closely with the latest Permian extinction. Modeling results indicate that the accelerated rise of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios can be ascribed to a rapid increase (>2.8×) of riverine flux of Sr caused by intensified weathering. This phenomenon could in turn be related to an intensification of warming-driven runoff and vegetation die-off. Continued rise of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the Early Triassic indicates that continental weathering rates were enhanced >1.9 times compared to those of the Late Permian. Continental weathering rates began to decline in the middle-late Spathian, which may have played a role in the decrease of oceanic anoxia and recovery of marine benthos. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values decline gradually into the Middle Triassic to an equilibrium values around 1.2 times those of the Late Permian level, suggesting that vegetation coverage did not attain pre-extinction levels thereby allowing higher runoff.

A preliminary phylogenetic study of late Palaeozoic spiriferoid brachiopods using cladistic and Bayesian approaches

Abstract The brachiopod Superfamily Spiriferoidea diversified greatly and was widely distributed in the late Palaeozoic (Carboniferous–Permian), and yet its phylogeny has been seldom investigated with analytical methods. This is reflected in the current flux of very different classification schemes for this superfamily. This paper provides the first attempt to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of spiriferoid brachiopods through both cladistic and Bayesian analyses involving 24 discrete and continuous characters. The continuous characters, from morphometric data, have been separately discretized using the gap weighting method, and the ‘as such’ option in TNT. Our results highlight the potential significance of continuous characters in reconstructing and elucidating phylogenies, as much as qualitative characters. Building on the outcomes of the analyses, we also briefly evaluate existing classification schemes of Spiriferoidea. We found that none of the existing classifications fully reflect the phylogeny properly; major families within the superfamily, such as Spiriferidae, Choristitidae, and Trigonotretidae, turned out to be polyphyletic. Although this study is considered preliminary, due to the selection of and restriction to certain taxa, combined with the use of a relatively small number of characters, it nevertheless demonstrates that potentially the true phylogenetic relationships of spiriferoid taxa sharply contrast with any of the existing classification schemes. This highlights the need to develop an alternative scheme that takes into account a more comprehensive range of phylogenetic variables.

A new Changhsingian (Late Permian) brachiopod fauna from the Zhongzhai section (South China) Part 3: Productida

Zhang, Y., He, W.H., Shi, G.R., Zhang, K.X. & Wu, H.T., 26.2.2015. A new Changhsingian (Late Permian) brachiopod fauna from the Zhongzhai section (South China) Part 3: Productida. Alcheringa 39, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518. As the third and last part of a systematic palaeontological study of the brachiopod fauna from the Permian–Triassic boundary section at Zhongzhai in Guizhou Province (South China), this paper reports 15 species (including three new species: Tethyochonetes minor sp. nov., Neochonetes (Zhongyingia) transversa sp. nov., Paryphella acutula sp. nov.) in Order Productida. In addition, the morphological features and definitions of several key Changhsingian brachiopod taxa (e.g., Paryphella and Oldhamina interrupta) are clarified and revised.

Mid- to late Holocene landscape change and anthropogenic transformations on Mo‘orea, Society Islands: a multi-proxy approach

Archaeology’s ability to generate long-term datasets of natural and human landscape change positions the discipline as an inter-disciplinary bridge between the social and natural sciences. Using a multi-proxy approach combining archaeological data with palaeoenvironmental indicators embedded in coastal sediments, we outline millennial timescales of lowland landscape evolution in the Society Islands. Geomorphic and cultural histories for four coastal zones on Mo‘orea are reconstructed based on stratigraphic records, sedimentology, pollen analysis, and radiocarbon determinations from mid- to late Holocene contexts. Prehuman records of the island’s flora and fauna are described utilizing landsnail, insect, and botanical data, providing a palaeo-backdrop for later anthropogenic change. Several environmental processes, including sea level change, island subsidence, and anthropogenic alterations, leading to changes in sedimentary budget have operated on Mo‘orea coastlines from c. 4600 to 200 BP. We document significant transformation of littoral and lowland zones which obscured earlier human activities and created significant changes in vegetation and other biota. Beginning as early as 440 BP (1416–1490 cal. ad), a major phase of sedimentary deposition commenced which can only be attributed to anthropogenic effects. At several sites, between 1.8 and 3.0 m of terrigenous sediments accumulated within a span of two to three centuries due to active slope erosion and deposition on the coastal flats. This phase correlates with the period of major inland expansion of Polynesian occupation and intensive agriculture on the island, indicated by the presence of charcoal throughout the sediments, including wood charcoal from several economically important tree species.

Nearshore-offshore-basin species diversity and body size variation patterns in Late Permian (Changhsingian) brachiopods

 B.V. Body size is a fundamental and defining character of an organism, and its variation in space and time is generally considered to be a function of its biology and interactions with its living environment. A great deal of body size related ecological and evolutionary research has been undertaken, mostly in relation to extant animals. Among the many body size-related hypotheses proposed and tested, the size-bathymetry relationship is probably the least studied. In this study, we compiled a global body size dataset of Changhsingian (Late Permian, ca. 254. Ma-252. Ma) brachiopod species from low-latitude areas (30°S-30°N) and analyzed their species diversity and body size distribution patterns in relation to the nearshore-offshore-basin bathymetric gradient. The dataset contained 1768 brachiopod specimens in 435 species referred to 159 genera and 9 orders, from 135 occurrences (localities) of 18 different palaeogeographic regions. Treating the whole of the Changhsingian Stage as a single time slice, we divided the nearshore-offshore-basin bathymetric gradient into three broad depth-related environments: nearshore, offshore and basinal environments, and compared how the species diversity and body size varied along this large-scale bathymetric gradient.Here, we report an array of complex patterns. First, we found a clear overall inverse correlation between species diversity and water depth along the nearshore-offshore-basin gradient, with most species concentrating in the nearshore environment. Second, when the median sizes of all low-latitude brachiopod species from the three environments were compared, we found that there was no significant size difference between the nearshore and offshore environments, suggesting that neither the wave base nor the hydrostatic pressure exerts a critical influence on the body size of brachiopods. On the other hand, the median sizes of brachiopods from the nearshore environment and, to a lesser extent, the offshore environment were found to be significantly larger than that of basinal brachiopods. This trend of significant size reduction in basinal brachiopods mirrors the relative low species diversity in the basinal environment, and neither can be easily explained by the tendency of decreasing food availability towards deeper sea environments. Rather, both trends are consistent with the hypothesis of an expanding Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) in the bathyal (slope to deepsea) environments, where hypoxic to anoxic conditions are considered to have severely restricted the diversification of benthos and favored the relative proliferation of small-sized brachiopods. Finally, a significant difference was also found between eurybathic and stenobathic species in their body size response to the nearshore-offshore-basin gradient, in that eurybathic species (species found in all three environments) did not tend to change their body size significantly according to depth, whereas stenobathic forms (species restricted to a single environment) exhibit a decline in body size towards the basinal environment. This pattern is interpreted to suggest that bathymetrically more tolerant species are less sensitive to depth control with respect to their body size change dynamics, in contrast to stenobathic species which tend to grow larger in shallower water depths.

First report of a phytogeographically mixed (transitional) Middle-Late Permian fossil wood assemblage from the Hami area, northwest China, and implications for Permian phytogeographical, paleogeographical and paleoclimatic evolution in central Asia

A diverse and well-preserved fossil wood assemblage is described, for the first time, from the Middle Permian Taerlang Formation and the Upper Permian Quanzijie Formation in the vicinity of the Tianshan Town, Hami City of northwestern China. On the basis of wood microstructure, the fossil woods are classified into three genera and five species, including one new genus: Prototianshanoxylon gen. nov. and two new species: Prototianshanoxylon erdaogouense sp. nov., Prototianshanoxylon hamiense sp. nov. The new genus is characterized by window-like cross-field pitting and mixed tracheid radial wall pitting that suggest a transitional type between araucarioid-type and protopinoid-type pittings.Phytogeographically, the fossil wood assemblage is characterized by an admixture of elements of both temperate Angaran (represented by wood specimens with moderately to well defined growth rings in their secondary xylem) and tropical-subtropical north subregion of the Cathaysian floras (with wood specimens lacking well-defined growth rings). Such a phytogeographically mixed fossil wood assemblage is interpreted to represent a transitional and complex climate condition between a cool temperate and tropical to subtropical zones, showing both seasonal variation and unstable climate conditions. Previously, similarly mixed floras have already been found to exist widely in northern China ranging in age from Early to Late Permian, but the mechanisms thought to be responsible for their formation were varied and remain controversial. In this study, the formation of these mixed Permian floras of North China is linked to the closure of the Tianshan-Hingan seaway coupled with the collision and amalgamation of Siberia with North China and the Tarim block, in a manner much like closing a pair of scissors with the closure of the seaway proceeding gradually and progressively from west to the east.

Global brachiopod palaeobiogeographical evolution from Changhsingian (Late Permian) to Rhaetian (Late Triassic)

Previous studies suggest that the end-Permian mass extinction caused a dramatic drop of marine biodiversity near the Permian-Triassic boundary. However, it is unclear how profoundly this severe extinction might have changed the global provincialism, and how global provincialism responded to the protracted process of this extinction and subsequent recovery through the Triassic. In this paper, we carried out quantitative time-series analyses of global brachiopod palaeobiogeography over a timespan of nine consecutive stages/substages from the latest Permian Changhsingian to the latest Triassic Rhaetian based on a global brachiopod database of 483 genera and 2459 species from 1425 localities. Our results suggest that the extinction resulted in a global 'biogeographical eclipse' in the ensuing Early Triassic Griesbachian and Dienerian times in that neither biogeographic realm nor province could be recognized. It was characterized by an extreme low-diversity, mostly dwarfed and nearly globally distributed brachiopod fauna, coupled with persistently high sea surface temperature and a flattened global latitudinal thermal gradient. Global provincialization emerged again during the Olenekian at province level and reached its peak stage during the Carnian when three realms and six provinces were clearly recognized. Global provincialism became weakened again in the latest Triassic Rhaetian, marked by three general realms, but no province distinguished. Our analyses suggest that both palaeolatitude-related thermal gradient and the presence of Pangea (a profound geographic barrier) were most effective in explaining the spatial patterns. In addition, oceanic currents along the northwestern coast of Pangea also played an important (albeit regional) role in linking southern North and Central America brachiopod faunas with those of the Boreal Realm. This study also revealed that the brachiopod biodiversity center moved northwards over the studied interval, accompanied and hence accountable for by the northward drift of a large number of tectonic blocks in the Palaeotethys and Neotethys during the Triassic.