Protemic characterization of peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) play quite diverse and important roles in monitoring immune homeostasis. Thus, these subset of blood cells may provide access to potential physiological relevant biomolecules, namely proteins. For this reason, PBMCs represent a promising biological sample in scientific research, particularly as a source of potential biological markers discovery of the most diverse diseases. Prior studies of proteomic characterization of PBMCs from healthy individuals lack either the identification of a large number of proteins or its quantification in a way that is compatible with the search of potential biomarker candidates. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive PBMCs proteome characterisation as well as to create a SWATH library. It was also evaluated if by using the BD Vacutainer® CPT™ tubes for PBMCs isolation, it would be possible to identify a larger number of immunologically relevant proteins in comparison to plasma samples. The enrichment test assay revealed that it is possible to identify more immune-related proteins from isolated PBMCs than from plasma. Moreover, the majority of the quantified proteins with an “immune system” GO term assigned is present in higher amounts in PBMCs samples. 2D LC-MS/MS proved to be the best approach to use in qualitative analysis of PBMCs and in the construction of a SWATH library, since it resulted in an increase of both identified and quantified proteins (66.3% and 16.9%, respectively) in comparison to 1D LC-MS/MS. A total of 2071 proteins were identified and it was possible to quantify 922 different proteins among six distinct samples. From these proteins, 445 were commom between all individuals. In conclusion, this work provides a comprehensive PBMCs proteome dataset that will be useful in further studies that focus on the search for potential biological markers of various pathologies in these cells. Additionally, SWATH-MS proved to be a reproducible and effective acquisition method to quantify PBMCs proteins.

Salted-Fish industry in Roman Lusitania: Trade Memories between Oceanus and Mare Nostrum

Initiated by Augustus, Rome’s Atlantic policy seems to have been consolidated in the age of Claudius, with the acknowledgement of the economic potential offered by the Atlantic region. It is in this context that we must understand the development of the salted-fish industry in Lusitania. In the same geographical contexts, and in close relationship with fish-processing factories, are known about 20 pottery centres producing amphorae, located in the regions of Peniche, Sado and Tejo valleys, and the coasts of Alentejo and Algarve. This production extended in time beyond the end of the Western Roman Empire and up to the end of the 5th and 6th centuries, according to the archaeological data of some amphora kilns and fish-processing sites. The identification of Lusitanian amphorae in distant consuming centres and several shipwrecks in the Mediterranean basin confirm the long-distance commerce and the total integration of this “peripheral” region into the trade routes of the Roman Empire.

Low doses of a neonicotinoid insecticide modify pheromone response thresholds of central but not peripheral olfactory neurons in a pest insect

International audience

Hansen Neuropathy: Still a Possible Diagnosis in the Investigation of a Peripheral Neuropathy

INTRODUCTION: Leprosy is still one of the most frequent causes of peripheral neuropathy. Although regarded as eradicated in Portugal, is still documented in neuropathological study of patients with clinical peripheral neuropathy without proper diagnosis.

Peripheral communities of the Eastern Lau Spreading Center and Valu Fa Ridge: community composition, temporal change and comparison to near-vent communities

Western Pacific hydrothermal vents will soon be subjected to deep-sea mining and peripheral sites are considered the most practical targets. The limited information on community dynamics and temporal change in these communities makes it difficult to anticipate the impact of mining activities and recovery trajectories. We studied community composition of peripheral communities along a cline in hydrothermal chemistry on the Eastern Lau Spreading Center and Valu Fa Ridge (ELSC-VFR) and also studied patterns of temporal change. Peripheral communities located in the northern vent fields of the ELSC-VFR are significantly different from those in the southern vent fields. Higher abundances of zoanthids and anemones were found in northern peripheral sites and the symbiont-containing mussel Bathymodiolus brevior, brisingid seastars and polynoids were only present in the northern peripheral sites. By contrast, certain faunal groups were seen only in the southern peripheral sites, such as lollipop sponges, pycnogonids and ophiuroids. Taxonomic richness of the peripheral communities was similar to that of active vent communities, due to the presence of non-vent endemic species that balanced the absence of species found in areas of active venting. The communities present at waning active sites resemble those of peripheral sites, indicating that peripheral species can colonize previously active vent sites in addition to settling in the periphery of areas of venting. Growth and mortality were observed in a number of the normally slow-growing cladorhizid stick sponges, indicating that these animals may exhibit life history strategies in the vicinity of vents that differ from those previously recorded. A novel facultative association between polynoids and anemones is proposed based on their correlated distributions.

In vivo time-lapse imaging of mitochondria in healthy and diseased peripheral myelin sheath

International audience

Kawasaki Disease and Peripheral Gangrene in Infancy

Introduction: Early diagnosis and treatment of Kawasaki disease as the most common cause of acquired heart disease in childhood, may significantly improve the prognosis. Diagnosing infantile Kawasaki (younger than a year) is difficult because of obscure symptoms; at the same time they are at the higher risk of coronary abnormalities. Case Presentation: We report three infants with prolonged (more than 5 days) fever and peripheral gangrene without any other clinical manifestations of Kawasaki disease. Kawasaki was diagnosed due to dilation of coronary artery and other aortic branches, thrombocytosis, and rising of ESR and CRP. All patients were treated with high dose aspirin, IVIG and pulse therapy with methylprednisolone. Additionally, cytotoxic drugs or infliximab were used for two of them because of severe aneurysms in the aortic branches. All 3 patients received aspirin with anti-platelet aggregation dose and 2 patients heparin as an anti-coagulant agent for longtime. After adequate treatment, peripheral gangrene, arterial dilations and aneurysms improved, but during 12 months follow-up coronary aneurysms did not improve completely. Conclusions: Peripheral gangrene must be regarded as an important sign of infantile Kawasaki disease early treatment of which can prevent severe permanent coronary involvements and sequels.

Risk of African swine fever introduction into the European Union through transport-associated routes: returning trucks and waste from international ships and planes

BACKGROUND The uncontrolled presence of African swine fever (ASF) in Russian Federation (RF) poses a serious risk to the whole European Union (EU) pig industry. Although trade of pigs and their products is banned since the official notification in June 2007, the potential introduction of ASF virus (ASFV) may occur by other routes, which are very frequent in ASF, and more difficult to control, such as contaminated waste or infected vehicles. This study was intended to estimate the risk of ASFV introduction into the EU through three types of transport routes: returning trucks, waste from international ships and waste from international planes, which will be referred here as transport-associated routes (TAR). Since no detailed and official information was available for these routes, a semi-quantitative model based on the weighted combination of risk factors was developed to estimate the risk of ASFV introduction by TAR. Relative weights for combination of different risk factors as well as validation of the model results were obtained by an expert opinion elicitation. RESULTS Model results indicate that the relative risk for ASFV introduction through TAR in most of the EU countries (16) is low, although some countries, specifically Poland and Lithuania, concentrate high levels of risk, the returning trucks route being the analyzed TAR that currently poses the highest risk for ASFV introduction into the EU. The spatial distribution of the risk of ASFV introduction varies importantly between the analyzed introduction routes. Results also highlight the need to increase the awareness and precautions for ASF prevention, particularly ensuring truck disinfection, to minimize the potential risk of entrance into the EU. CONCLUSIONS This study presents the first assessment of ASF introduction into the EU through TAR. The innovative model developed here could be used in data scarce situations for estimating the relative risk associated to each EU country. This simple methodology provides a rapid and easy to interpret results on risk that may be used for a target and cost-effective allocation of resources to prevent disease introduction.

Peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is becoming a growing global problem, and there is an urgent need to identify reliable blood biomarkers of the risk and progression of this condition. A potential candidate is the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which modulates major trophic effects in the brain. However, findings are apparently inconsistent regarding peripheral blood BDNF levels in AD patients vs. healthy people. We thus performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the studies that have examined peripheral BDNF levels in patients with AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy controls. We searched articles through PubMed, EMBASE, and hand searching. Over a total pool of 2061 potential articles, 26 met all inclusion criteria (including a total of 1584 AD patients, 556 MCI patients, and 1294 controls). A meta-analysis of BDNF levels between early AD and controls showed statistically significantly higher levels (SMD [95 % CI]: 0.72 [0.31, 1.13]) with no heterogeneity. AD patients with a low (<20) mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score had lower peripheral BDNF levels compared with controls (SMD [95 % CI]: -0.33 [-0.60, -0.05]). However, we found no statistically significant difference in blood (serum/plasma) BDNF levels between all AD patients and controls (standard mean difference, SMD [95 % CI]: -0.16 [-0.4, 0.07]), and there was heterogeneity among studies (P < 0.0001, I 2 = 85.8 %). There were no differences in blood BDNF levels among AD or MCI patients vs. controls by subgroup analyses according to age, sex, and drug use. In conclusion, this meta-analysis shows that peripheral blood BDNF levels seem to be increased in early AD and decreased in AD patients with low MMSE scores respectively compared with their age- and sex-matched healthy referents. At present, however, this could not be concluded from individual studies.

Developing self-guided scuba dive routes in the Algarve (Portugal) and analysing visitors' perceptions

Scuba diving allows for underwater visitation of cultural and natural resources. Underwater routes can be used as a tool for guided and supervised underwater visits. Two scuba diving routes were implemented in the Algarve (South of Portugal), the "B24" and "Poco" diving sites. The perceptions of scuba divers regarding several aspects of the routes and the existing support infrastructures were studied following a survey carried out through face-to-face interviews from 2008 to 2012. Divers profile and their perceptions were analysed using 246 valid questionnaires. Divers were mainly Portuguese, over 30 years old and with more than 12 years of formal education. Some of the support infrastructures did not achieve a "good" or "acceptable" grade. This should be carefully considered by diving operators and managers, because perceptions tend to circulate throughout the diving tourists. All features of interpretative slates were graded as highly satisfactory. Overall, diver satisfaction increased slightly after route implementation, with an average ranking of "good". These findings support the implementation of underwater routes as a way to promote diving activity, and to increase divers' environmental education and awareness. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecotourism snorkelling routes at Marinha Beach (Algarve)

Coastal ecotourism is one of the fastest growing leisure industries in the world and snorkelling is emerging as an important beach-based activity. Snorkelling has the potential to enhance biodiversity conservation when developed within environmental education framework. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate snorkelling routes, in the Algarve (South Portugal), as a sustainable ecotourism offer. To achieve these objectives, three snorkelling routes were established at the pristine Marinha beach. After the diving experience, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information about individuals' opinions regarding the underwater routes, their social demographic characteristics, ecological appreciation, opinions about beach facilities and trip expenditures. The survey was undertaken during the summer months of 2008 and 2009, and 202 people were interviewed. Data was analysed using univariate and multivariate statistic methods. Most respondents perceived the existence of routes to be good for the preservation of the local biodiversity and reported this experience as "good" or "excellent". The only difference in perceptions was observed by visitor snorkelling in groups of more than two people. Interviewers consider that emergency support and sanitary facilities are the most important beach support infrastructures. Overall, these routes seem to be an effective tool for developing ecological awareness in tourists, as they enhance the preservation and the understanding of the marine coastal environment.

Eco-touristic snorkelling routes at Marinha beach (Algarve): Environmental education and human impacts

The use of natural areas for underwater coastal marine activities such as snorkelling is growing, but the amount of ecological and socioeconomic data on these activities is scarce and relates mainly to coral reef areas. Three underwater self-guided routes were designed at Marinha Beach (Algarve, Portugal), based on scientific information, with in situ interpretation and guidance, as a way to enhance biodiversity awareness and, hence, reduce the probability of human impacts. The routes were implemented in two consecutive summer seasons and after each season, visual census techniques were used to describe flora composition and cover area (seaweeds and seagrasses) in order to understand patterns and evaluate human impacts. Snorkelers' opinions and perceptions about several issues related to the routes' environmental education role (e.g. role in enhancing biocliversity awareness) were investigated by questionnaire after the snorkelling activity. An inter-annual difference inflora assemblages was found, probably associated to natural variability, rather than snorkelers' impacts. Results indicate that, in fact, in situ education and interpretation can raise environmental awareness if properly addressed, resulting in a satisfactory way of engaging snorkelers in the protection and in the conservation of the visited environments, thereby preventing negative ecological impacts. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.