The reproductive cycle of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula in northwest mediterranean: potential influence of temperature and photoperiod

We studied the reproductive cycle of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula in a subtidal population from northeast Spain over four years using a gonadosomatic index (GSI) and gonad histology. Our results show that the GSI of A. lixula follows a seasonal cycle which peaks in May-July and attains its lowest values in October-November every year. The time course of the GSI matched closely the photoperiod cycle. We also found a remarkable inter-annual variability in the maximum value of GSI, which correlated with mean water temperature during the gonad growth period (winter and spring). Gonad histology was also in agreement with a single gametogenic cycle per year in this species. We explored the application of circular statistics to present and analyse gonadal development data, which allowed us to adequately handle the high intra-individual variability detected, with several developmental stages commonly found within the same gonad. The picture that emerged is one of a gametogenic timing driven by photoperiod, while the amount of reproductive output is determined by temperature. This is coherent with the tropical origin of the species and lends support to recent warnings about an increase in the abundance of this species in the Mediterranean as a result of global warming, with associated increased impact potential in sublittoral communities.

Bioavailability of sinking organic matter in the Blanes canyon and the adjacent open slope (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Submarine canyons are sites of intense energy and material exchange between the shelf and the deep adjacent basins. To test the hypothesis that active submarine canyons represent preferential conduits of available food for the deep-sea benthos, two mooring lines were deployed at 1200 m depth from November 2008 to November 2009 inside the Blanes canyon and on the adjacent open slope (Catalan Margin, NW Mediterranean Sea). We investigated the fluxes, biochemical composition and food quality of sinking organic carbon (OC). OC fluxes in the canyon and the open slope varied among sampling periods, though not onsistently in the two sites. In particular, while in the open slope the highest OC fluxes were observed in August 2009, in the canyon the highest OC fluxes occurred in April-May 2009. For almost the entire study period, the OC fluxes in the canyon were significantly higher than those in the open slope, whereas OC contents of sinking particles collected in the open slope were consistently higher than those in the canyon. This result confirms that submarine canyons are effective conveyors of OC to the deep sea. Particles transferred to the deep sea floor through the canyons are predominantly of inorganic origin, significantly higher than that reaching the open slope at a similar water depth. Using multivariate statistical tests, two major clusters of sampling periods were identified: one in the canyon that grouped trap samples collected in December 2008, oncurrently with the occurrence of a major storm at the sea surface, and associated with increased fluxes of nutritionally available particles from the upper shelf. Another cluster grouped samples from both the canyon and the open slope collected in March 2009, concurrently with the occurrence of the seasonal phytoplankton bloom at the sea surface, and associated with increased fluxes of total phytopigments. Our results confirm the key ecological role of submarine canyons for the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems, and highlight the importance of canyons in linking episodic storms and primary production occurring at the sea surface to the deep sea floor.

Roundwood shipping in the Baltic Sea region

Itämeren liikenteen on ennustettu kasvavan voimakkaasti tulevaisuudessa. Metsäteollisuus toimialana on kuitenkin syklinen. Tällä hetkellä raakapuun tuonti Suomeen on hienoisessa nousussa, kun taas Ruotsissa tuonnin alamäki jatkuu. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli kuvata ja arvioida raakapuun merikuljetuksia Itämeren alueella. Tutkimuksessa esitetään keskeisimmät raakapuun materiaalivirrat Itämerellä ja kuvataan satamatekniikan ja alustyypin valinnan vaikutusta, kun tavoitteena on saavuttaa tehokas raakapuun kuljetusketju. Tutkimuksen merkittävin tulos on teoreettinen edestakaisen matkan laskentamalli, jonka on tarkoitus kuvata aluskohtaista kustannustehokkuutta sekä kapasiteettia tietyllä laivausreitillä. Malli sopii käytettäväksi varsinaisen linjaliikenteen reittisuunnittelun perustana.

Generalist hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial communities in the oil-polluted water column of the North Sea.

The aim of this work was to determine the effect of light crude oil on bacterial communities during an experimental oil spill in the North Sea and in mesocosms (simulating a heavy, enclosed oil spill), and to isolate and characterize hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from the water column. No oil-induced changes in bacterial community (3 m below the sea surface) were observed 32 h after the experimental spill at sea. In contrast, there was a decrease in the dominant SAR11 phylotype and an increase in Pseudoalteromonas spp. in the oiled mesocosms (investigated by 16S rRNA gene analysis using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis), as a consequence of the longer incubation, closer proximity of the samples to oil, and the lack of replenishment with seawater. A total of 216 strains were isolated from hydrocarbon enrichment cultures, predominantly belonging to the genus Pseudoaltero monas; most strains grew on PAHs, branched and straight-chain alkanes, as well as many other carbon sources. No obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria were isolated or detected, highlighting the potential importance of cosmopolitan marine generalists like Pseudoalteromonas spp. in degrading hydrocarbons in the water column beneath an oil slick, and revealing the susceptibility to oil pollution of SAR11, the most abundant bacterial clade in the surface ocean.

Metabolic effects of insulin and IGFs on gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) muscle cells.

Primary cultures of gilthead sea bream myocytes were performed in order to examine the relative metabolic function of insulin compared with IGF-I and IGF-II (insulin-like growth factors, IGFs) at different stages in the cell culture. In these cells, the in vitro effects of insulin and IGFs on 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and L-alanine uptake were studied in both myocytes (day 4) and small myotubes (day 9). 2-DG uptake in gilthead sea bream muscle cells was increased in the presence of insulin and IGFs in a time dependent manner and along with muscle cell differentiation. On the contrary, L-alanine uptake was also stimulated by insulin and IGFs but showed an inverse pattern, being the uptake higher in small myocytes than in large myotubes. The results of preincubation with inhibitors (PD-98059, wortmannin, and cytochalasin B) on 2-DG uptake indicated that insulin and IGFs stimulate glucose uptake through the same mechanisms, and evidenced that mitogenesis activator protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K-Akt transduction pathways mediate the metabolic function of these peptides. In the same way, we observed that GLUT4 protein synthesis was stimulated in the presence of insulin and IGFs in gilthead sea bream muscle cells in a different manner at days 4 or 9 of the culture. In summary we describe here, for the first time, the effects of insulin and IGFs on 2-DG and L-alanine uptake in primary culture of gilthead sea bream muscle cells. We show that both MAPK and PI3K-Akt transduction pathways are needed in order to control insulin and IGFs actions in these cells. Moreover, changes in glucose uptake can be explained by the action of the GLUT4 transporter, which is stimulated in the presence of insulin and IGFs throughout the cell culture.

Survival after surgical drainage of malignant pericardial effusion.

OBJECTIVES: Management of malignant pericardial effusion (PE) is complex. Cardiac surgeons are not necessarily familiar with or are challenged by the many underlying etiologies. Analyzing risk factors for mortality may help to estimate the benefit of surgery in high-risk patients. METHODS: Patients undergoing a surgical pericardiotomy for malignant PE, between 2001 and 2011, were included. The influence of tumor type, disease extension, intra-pericardial tumor infiltration on early mortality and long-term survival as well as freedom from symptoms after drainage, and the use of sclerosing agents on PE recurrence rates was analyzed. RESULTS: PE drainage was performed on 46 patients 12 ± 30 months after tumor diagnosis. Malignant diseases were lung cancers (50 %), breast cancers (15 %), lymphoma and leukemia (13 %), cancers of the digestive tract (13 %), and others (9 %). 80 % of patients were symptomatic and symptom relief was achieved in 65 %. Nobody died during surgery. Recurrence rate was 4 %. Early in-hospital mortality was 22 %. After 1 year, 29 % of patients were alive. Eleven patients (24 %) had a complete tumor regression. Metastatic spread (p < 0.001), pericardial infiltration (p = 0.02), and intra-pericardial Bleomycin (p = 0.01) injection were associated with increased mortality. Hematological malignancies had a better prognosis for survival. CONCLUSION: Surgical pericardiotomy is safe, associated with a low recurrence rate and symptom relief in the majority of dyspneic patients. Intra-pericardial Bleomycin may reduce recurrent effusion but does not ameliorate survival. Long-term survival rate was low with an increased mortality in cases of metastatic spreading, pericardial infiltration, and as the tumor of origin: breast cancers. Leukemic and lymphatic tumors have better prognosis.

3-D density structure and geological evolution of Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy) inferred from land-based and sea-surface gravity data

We present the first density model of Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy) obtained by simultaneously inverting land-based (543) and sea-surface (327) relative gravity data. Modern positioning technology, a 1 x 1 m digital elevation model, and a 15 x 15 m bathymetric model made it possible to obtain a detailed 3-D density model through an iteratively reweighted smoothness-constrained least-squares inversion that explained the land-based gravity data to 0.09 mGal and the sea-surface data to 5 mGal. Our inverse formulation avoids introducing any assumptions about density magnitudes. At 125 m depth from the land surface, the inferred mean density of the island is 2380 kg m(-3), with corresponding 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles of 2200 and 2530 kg m-3. This density range covers the rock densities of new and previously published samples of Paleostromboli I, Vancori, Neostromboli and San Bartolo lava flows. High-density anomalies in the central and southern part of the island can be related to two main degassing faults crossing the island (N41 and NM) that are interpreted as preferential regions of dyke intrusions. In addition, two low-density anomalies are found in the northeastern part and in the summit area of the island. These anomalies seem to be geographically related with past paroxysmal explosive phreato-magmatic events that have played important roles in the evolution of Stromboli Island by forming the Scari caldera and the Neostromboli crater, respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiple processes regulate long-term population dynamics of sea urchins on Mediterranean rocky reefs

We annually monitored the abundance and size structure of herbivorous sea urchin populations (Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula) inside and outside a marine reserve in the Northwestern Mediterranean on two distinct habitats (boulders and vertical walls) over a period of 20 years, with the aim of analyzing changes at different temporal scales in relation to biotic and abiotic drivers. P. lividus exhibited significant variability in density over time on boulder bottoms but not on vertical walls, and temporal trends were not significantly different between the protection levels. Differences in densities were caused primarily by variance in recruitment, which was less pronounced inside the MPA and was correlated with adult density, indicating density-dependent recruitment under high predation pressure, as well as some positive feedback mechanisms that may facilitate higher urchin abundances despite higher predator abundance. Populations within the reserve were less variable in abundance and did not exhibit the hyper-abundances observed outside the reserve, suggesting that predation effects maybe more subtle than simply lowering the numbers of urchins in reserves. A. lixula densities were an order of magnitude lower than P. lividus densities and varied within sites and over time on boulder bottoms but did not differ between protection levels. In December 2008, an exceptionally violent storm reduced sea urchin densities drastically (by 50% to 80%) on boulder substrates, resulting in the lowest values observed over the entire study period, which remained at that level for at least two years (up to the present). Our results also showed great variability in the biological and physical processes acting at different temporal scales. This study highlights the need for appropriate temporal scales for studies to fully understand ecosystem functioning, the concepts of which are fundamental to successful conservation and management.

Different Effects of BORIS/CTCFL on Stemness Gene Expression, Sphere Formation and Cell Survival in Epithelial Cancer Stem Cells.

Cancer stem cells are cancer cells characterized by stem cell properties and represent a small population of tumor cells that drives tumor development, progression, metastasis and drug resistance. To date, the molecular mechanisms that generate and regulate cancer stem cells are not well defined. BORIS (Brother of Regulator of Imprinted Sites) or CTCFL (CTCF-like) is a DNA-binding protein that is expressed in normal tissues only in germ cells and is re-activated in tumors. Recent evidences have highlighted the correlation of BORIS/CTCFL expression with poor overall survival of different cancer patients. We have previously shown an association of BORIS-expressing cells with stemness gene expression in embryonic cancer cells. Here, we studied the role of BORIS in epithelial tumor cells. Using BORIS-molecular beacon that was already validated, we were able to show the presence of BORIS mRNA in cancer stem cell-enriched populations (side population and spheres) of cervical, colon and breast tumor cells. BORIS silencing studies showed a decrease of sphere formation capacity in breast and colon tumor cells. Importantly, BORIS-silencing led to down-regulation of hTERT, stem cell (NANOG, OCT4, SOX2 and BMI1) and cancer stem cell markers (ABCG2, CD44 and ALDH1) genes. Conversely, BORIS-induction led to up-regulation of the same genes. These phenotypes were observed in cervical, colon and invasive breast tumor cells. However, a completely different behavior was observed in the non-invasive breast tumor cells (MCF7). Indeed, these cells acquired an epithelial mesenchymal transition phenotype after BORIS silencing. Our results demonstrate that BORIS is associated with cancer stem cell-enriched populations of several epithelial tumor cells and the different phenotypes depend on the origin of tumor cells.

Quantification of environment-driven changes in epiphytic macroinvertebrate communities associated to Phragmites australis

The epiphytic macroinvertebrate communities associated with the Common Reed, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steudel, were examined seasonally from summer 2004 to spring 2005 in eleven coastal lagoons of the Llobregat Delta (NE Spain) following the method proposed by Kornijów & Kairesalo (1994). The aims of the study were to: 1) characterise and quantify changes in epiphytic macroinvertebrate communities along environmental gradients; 2) assess the contribution of elements of the epiphytic compartment to structuring the community; 3) define the optima and tolerances of selected epiphytic macroinvertebrate taxa for the most relevant ecological factors responsible for assemblage composition; and 4) identify possible epiphytic species assemblages that would allow a lagoon"s typology to be established, as well as their representative indicator species. Communities showed statistically significant seasonal variation, with two faunal peaks: one in summer, with high chironomid densities, and the other in winter, with high naidid densities. These peaks showed a clear response to the influence of environmental factors. Salinity explained the highest percentage of total variance (36%), while trophic variables (nutrients, phytoplanktonic chlorophyll-a, and total organic carbon) and epiphyton biomass (19.2 and 4% of total variance explained, respectively) were secondary. Three different epiphytic macroinvertebrate species assemblages could be defined. These assemblages were directly linked to conductivity conditions, which determined the rate of survival of certain taxa, and to the existence of a direct connection with the sea, which permitted the establishment of 'brackish-water' species. In spite of the existence of these species assemblages, the species composition and biomass of epiphytic macroinvertebrates and epiphyton differed substantially between lagoons; both elements were subject to changes in the environment, which finally determined the site-to-site variation in the density and composition of the macroinvertebrate population

Targeting of Fn14 Prevents Cancer-Induced Cachexia and Prolongs Survival.

The cytokine TWEAK and its cognate receptor Fn14 are members of the TNF/TNFR superfamily and are upregulated in tumors. We found that Fn14, when expressed in tumors, causes cachexia and that antibodies against Fn14 dramatically extended lifespan by inhibiting tumor-induced weight loss although having only moderate inhibitory effects on tumor growth. Anti-Fn14 antibodies prevented tumor-induced inflammation and loss of fat and muscle mass. Fn14 signaling in the tumor, rather than host, is responsible for inducing this cachexia because tumors in Fn14- and TWEAK-deficient hosts developed cachexia that was comparable to that of wild-type mice. These results extend the role of Fn14 in wound repair and muscle development to involvement in the etiology of cachexia and indicate that Fn14 antibodies may be a promising approach to treat cachexia, thereby extending lifespan and improving quality of life for cancer patients.

Addition of MR imaging features and genetic biomarkers strengthens glioblastoma survival prediction in TCGA patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to assess whether a model combining clinical factors, MR imaging features, and genomics would better predict overall survival of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) than either individual data type. METHODS: The study was conducted leveraging The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) effort supported by the National Institutes of Health. Six neuroradiologists reviewed MRI images from The Cancer Imaging Archive (http://cancerimagingarchive.net) of 102 GBM patients using the VASARI scoring system. The patients' clinical and genetic data were obtained from the TCGA website (http://www.cancergenome.nih.gov/). Patient outcome was measured in terms of overall survival time. The association between different categories of biomarkers and survival was evaluated using Cox analysis. RESULTS: The features that were significantly associated with survival were: (1) clinical factors: chemotherapy; (2) imaging: proportion of tumor contrast enhancement on MRI; and (3) genomics: HRAS copy number variation. The combination of these three biomarkers resulted in an incremental increase in the strength of prediction of survival, with the model that included clinical, imaging, and genetic variables having the highest predictive accuracy (area under the curve 0.679±0.068, Akaike's information criterion 566.7, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A combination of clinical factors, imaging features, and HRAS copy number variation best predicts survival of patients with GBM.