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Scientific Reports Jun 2024Animal-borne tags are effective instruments for collecting ocean data and can be used to fill spatial gaps in the observing network. We deployed the first conductivity,...
Animal-borne tags are effective instruments for collecting ocean data and can be used to fill spatial gaps in the observing network. We deployed the first conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) satellite tags on the dorsal fin of salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) to demonstrate the potential of sharks to monitor essential ocean variables and oceanographic features in the Gulf of Alaska. Over 1360 km and 36 days in the summer of 2015, the salmon shark collected 56 geolocated, temperature-salinity profiles. The shark swam through a plume of anomalously salty water that originated from the "Blob" and encountered several mesoscale eddies, whose subsurface properties were altered by the marine heatwave. We demonstrate that salmon sharks have the potential to serve as submesoscale-resolving oceanographic platforms and substantially increase the spatial coverage of observations in the Gulf of Alaska.
Topics: Animals; Sharks; Temperature; Oceans and Seas; Animal Fins; Alaska; Oceanography; Salinity
PubMed: 38879656
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63543-5 -
BMC Plant Biology Jun 2024The combination of compost and biochar (CB) plays an important role in soil restoration and mitigation strategies against drought stress in plants. In the current study,...
Incorporation of compost and biochar enhances yield and medicinal compounds in seeds of water-stressed Trigonella foenum-graecum L. plants cultivated in saline calcareous soils.
BACKGROUND
The combination of compost and biochar (CB) plays an important role in soil restoration and mitigation strategies against drought stress in plants. In the current study, the impact of CB was determined on the characteristics of saline calcareous soil and the productivity of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) plants. The field trials examined CB rates (CB CB and CB corresponding to 0, 10, and 20 t ha, respectively) under deficit irrigation [DI, DI and DI receiving 100, 80, and 60% crop evapotranspiration (ETc), respectively] conditions on growth, seed yield (SY), quality, and water productivity (WP) of fenugreek grown in saline calcareous soils.
RESULTS
In general, DI negatively affected the morpho-physio-biochemical responses in plants cultivated in saline calcareous soils. However, amendments of CB or CB improved soil structure under DI conditions. This was evidenced by the decreased pH, electrical conductivity of soil extract (ECe), and bulk density but increased organic matter, macronutrient (N, P, and K) availability, water retention, and total porosity; thus, maintaining better water and nutritional status. These soil modifications improved chlorophyll, tissue water contents, cell membrane stability, photosystem II photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic performance, and nutritional homeostasis of drought-stressed plants. This was also supported by increased osmolytes, non-enzymatic, and enzymatic activities under DI conditions. Regardless of DI regimes, SY was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved by 40.0 and 102.5% when plants were treated with CB and CB, respectively, as similarly observed for seed alkaloids (87.0, and 39.1%), trigonelline content (43.8, and 16.7%) and WP (40.9, and 104.5%) over unamended control plants.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the application of organic amendments of CB can be a promising sustainable solution for improving saline calcareous soil properties, mitigating the negative effects of DI stress, and enhancing crop productivity in arid and semi-arid agro-climates.
Topics: Trigonella; Soil; Charcoal; Seeds; Composting; Dehydration; Water; Salinity
PubMed: 38867179
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05182-6 -
PloS One 2024The timing of American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) spawning behavior along the coast of Florida (United States) is generally associated with the highest tides...
The timing of American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) spawning behavior along the coast of Florida (United States) is generally associated with the highest tides during the spring and fall lunar cycles. All Florida estuaries support horseshoe crab populations, but tidal characteristics vary markedly among locations, which may influence the timing of horseshoe crab spawning behavior. The Indian River Lagoon is a large microtidal estuary on Florida's east coast. Given the microtidal nature of the lagoon, it is unclear which environmental factors affect horseshoe spawning. In 2019, volunteers of Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch conducted daily surveys at two sites in the northern Indian River Lagoon during peak spawning months (February-April). During each survey, volunteers counted all spawning horseshoe crabs and recorded environmental variables, including water temperature, air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, salinity, and tide height. We developed a suite of negative-binomial regression models to quantify relationships between the number of spawning horseshoe crabs and environmental factors. Modeling results indicated a positive relationship between onshore wind speed and number of spawning horseshoe crabs. Our study suggests that in the absence of tidal cues, onshore wind speed may be an important driver of horseshoe crab spawning activity in microtidal estuarine systems.
Topics: Animals; Florida; Horseshoe Crabs; Temperature; Seasons; Estuaries; Reproduction; Wind; Tidal Waves; Salinity; Rivers
PubMed: 38865356
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302433 -
BMC Genomics Jun 2024Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are epigenetic marks that can be induced by environmental stress and elicit heritable patterns of gene expression. To...
BACKGROUND
Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are epigenetic marks that can be induced by environmental stress and elicit heritable patterns of gene expression. To investigate this process in an ecological context, we characterized the influence of salinity stress on histone PTMs within the gills, kidney, and testes of Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). A total of 221 histone PTMs were quantified in each tissue sample and compared between freshwater-adapted fish exposed to salinity treatments that varied in intensity and duration.
RESULTS
Four salinity-responsive histone PTMs were identified in this study. When freshwater-adapted fish were exposed to seawater for two hours, the relative abundance of H1K16ub significantly increased in the gills. Long-term salinity stress elicited changes in both the gills and testes. When freshwater-adapted fish were exposed to a pulse of severe salinity stress, where salinity gradually increased from freshwater to a maximum of 82.5 g/kg, the relative abundance of H1S1ac significantly decreased in the gills. Under the same conditions, the relative abundance of both H3K14ac and H3K18ub decreased significantly in the testes of Mozambique tilapia.
CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that salinity stress can alter histone PTMs in the gills and gonads of Mozambique tilapia, which, respectively, signify a potential for histone PTMs to be involved in salinity acclimation and adaptation in euryhaline fishes. These results thereby add to a growing body of evidence that epigenetic mechanisms may be involved in such processes.
Topics: Animals; Tilapia; Gills; Histones; Male; Salinity; Gonads; Histone Code; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Testis; Salt Stress; Fish Proteins
PubMed: 38862901
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10471-3 -
Parasites & Vectors Jun 2024Salinity, exacerbated by rising sea levels, is a critical environmental cue affecting freshwater ecosystems. Predicting ecosystem structure in response to such changes...
BACKGROUND
Salinity, exacerbated by rising sea levels, is a critical environmental cue affecting freshwater ecosystems. Predicting ecosystem structure in response to such changes and their implications for the geographical distribution of arthropod disease vectors requires further insights into the plasticity and adaptability of lower trophic level species in freshwater systems. Our study investigated whether populations of the mosquito Culex pipiens, typically considered sensitive to salt, have adapted due to gradual exposure.
METHODS
Mesocosm experiments were conducted to evaluate responses in life history traits to increasing levels of salinity in three populations along a gradient perpendicular to the North Sea coast. Salt concentrations up to the brackish-marine transition zone (8 g/l chloride) were used, upon which no survival was expected. To determine how this process affects oviposition, a colonization experiment was performed by exposing the coastal population to the same concentrations.
RESULTS
While concentrations up to the currently described median lethal dose (LD) (4 g/l) were surprisingly favored during egg laying, even the treatment with the highest salt concentration was incidentally colonized. Differences in development rates among populations were observed, but the influence of salinity was evident only at 4 g/l and higher, resulting in only a 1-day delay. Mortality rates were lower than expected, reaching only 20% for coastal and inland populations and 41% for the intermediate population at the highest salinity. Sex ratios remained unaffected across the tested range.
CONCLUSIONS
The high tolerance to salinity for all key life history parameters across populations suggests that Cx. pipiens is unlikely to shift its distribution in the foreseeable future, with potential implications for the disease risk of associated pathogens.
Topics: Animals; Culex; Female; Oviposition; Salinity; Male; Ecosystem; Salt Tolerance; Fresh Water; Life History Traits; Mosquito Vectors; Lethal Dose 50; Sodium Chloride
PubMed: 38858771
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06268-8 -
Kidney360 Jun 2024Total kidney volume (TKV) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are measures of progression and treatment response in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney...
BACKGROUND
Total kidney volume (TKV) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are measures of progression and treatment response in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), but utility is limited by the long follow-up required for change assessment. In an analysis of data from the 3-year TEMPO 3:4 trial, we evaluated relationships among a short-term indicator of drug activity (change in urine osmolality [Uosm]) and longer-term outcomes to evaluate Uosm as a potential marker of efficacy.
METHODS
Linear regression modeling and single-point analyses assessed relationships among change in Uosm to week 3, change in TKV to month 12, and change in eGFR to month 36 in subjects treated with tolvaptan (n=961) or placebo (n=483). Multivariate models evaluated the proportion of the tolvaptan treatment effect on eGFR attributable to change in Uosm.
RESULTS
Change in TKV to month 12 and Uosm to week 3 each correlated with change in eGFR to month 36, regardless of treatment assignment. A greater decrease in Uosm from baseline to week 3 was indicative of a slower decrease in eGFR to month 36 (slope estimate of -0.01, P <0.00001). The effect of tolvaptan on Uosm accounted for 68.8% of the treatment effect on change in eGFR to month 36. Simulations of TEMPO 3:4 under the null hypothesis (i.e., replacement of all values for change in Uosm from baseline to week 3 with values from the placebo arm only) yielded a Type 1 error rate indicating an acceptable risk of falsely concluding treatment efficacy based on change in Uosm as a trial endpoint.
CONCLUSIONS
Change in Uosm is a potential biomarker for long-term treatment outcome with tolvaptan and might expedite clinical trials and treatment decision-making for drugs with similar mechanisms of action.
PubMed: 38857379
DOI: 10.34067/KID.0000000000000485 -
Veterinary Medicine and Science Jul 2024Heavy metals are one of the most important environmental pollutants in marine coastal ecosystems. Cadmium is a heavy metal that enters to marine environments via...
BACKGROUND
Heavy metals are one of the most important environmental pollutants in marine coastal ecosystems. Cadmium is a heavy metal that enters to marine environments via industrial wastes and oil production activities.
OBJECTIVES
This study were done to determine the toxicity of cadmium to Litopenaeus vannamei and to evaluate the histological changes in gill tissues after exposure to sublethal concentrations of cadmium at different salinities.
METHODS
For this reason, toxicity test was done to determine the lethal concentration (LC50) of cadmium for whiteleg shrimp. According to the calculated LC50 amount, sublethal doses of cadmium were used to determine its histological effects in different salinity during 2 weeks exposing period.
RESULTS
LC50 of cadmium for 96 h for whiteleg shrimp was 6.56 mg/L. Histological alterations in the gill were observed in L. vannamei after 14 days exposure to different concentrations of cadmium and salinity. Histopathological index was increased in a dose-dependent manner.
CONCLUSION
Our findings showed that doses lower than 2 mg/L have repairable effects on gill structure, but the concentration of 2 mg/L cadmium leaves irreparable and destructive effects on the gill tissue.
Topics: Animals; Penaeidae; Gills; Cadmium; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Salinity; Lethal Dose 50; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
PubMed: 38853588
DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1494 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024The increasing global phenomenon of soil salinization has prompted heightened interest in the physiological ecology of plant salt and alkali tolerance. Halostachys...
The increasing global phenomenon of soil salinization has prompted heightened interest in the physiological ecology of plant salt and alkali tolerance. Halostachys caspica belonging to Amaranthaceae, an exceptionally salt-tolerant halophyte, is widely distributed in the arid and saline-alkali regions of Xinjiang, in Northwest China. Soil salinization and alkalinization frequently co-occur in nature, but very few studies focus on the interactive effects of various salt and alkali stress on plants. In this study, the impacts on the H. caspica seed germination, germination recovery and seedling growth were investigated under the salt and alkali stress. The results showed that the seed germination percentage was not significantly reduced at low salinity at pH 5.30-9.60, but decreased with elevated salt concentration and pH. Immediately after, salt was removed, ungerminated seeds under high salt concentration treatment exhibited a higher recovery germination percentage, indicating seed germination of H. caspica was inhibited under the condition of high salt-alkali stress. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that, at the same salt concentrations, alkaline salts exerted a more severe inhibition on seed germination, compared to neutral salts. The detrimental effects of salinity or high pH alone were less serious than their combination. Salt concentration, pH value, and their interactions had inhibitory effects on seed germination, with salinity being the decisive factor, while pH played a secondary role in salt-alkali mixed stress.
Topics: Germination; Salt-Tolerant Plants; Alkalies; Amaranthaceae; Seeds; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Seedlings; Salinity; Stress, Physiological; Sodium Chloride; Salt Stress; Salt Tolerance
PubMed: 38851793
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61737-5 -
International Journal of Pharmaceutics Jun 2024Uveal melanoma is one of the most common and aggressive intraocular malignancies, and, due to its great capability of metastasize, it constitutes the most incident...
Uveal melanoma is one of the most common and aggressive intraocular malignancies, and, due to its great capability of metastasize, it constitutes the most incident intraocular tumor in adults. However, to date there is no effective treatment since achieving the inner ocular tissues still constitutes one of the greatest challenges in actual medicine, because of the complex structure and barriers. Uncoated and PEGylated nanostructured lipid carriers were developed to achieve physico-chemical properties (mean particle size, homogeneity, zeta potential, pH and osmolality) compatible for the ophthalmic administration of (S)-(-)-MRJF22, a new custom-synthetized prodrug for the potential treatment of uveal melanoma. The colloidal physical stability was investigated at different temperatures by Turbiscan® Ageing Station. Morphology analysis and mucoadhesive studies highlighted the presence of small particles suitable to be topically administered on the ocular surface. In vitro release studies performed using Franz diffusion cells demonstrated that the systems were able to provide a slow and prolonged prodrug release. In vitro cytotoxicity test on Human Corneal Epithelium and Human Uveal Melanoma cell lines and Hen's egg-chorioallantoic membrane test showed a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect of the free prodrug on corneal cells, whose cytocompatibility improved when encapsulated into nanoparticles, as also confirmed by in vivo studies on New Zealand albino rabbits. Antiangiogenic capability and preventive anti-inflammatory properties were also investigated on embryonated eggs and rabbits, respectively. Furthermore, preliminary in vivo biodistribution images of fluorescent nanoparticles after topical instillation in rabbits' eyes, suggested their ability to reach the posterior segment of the eye, as a promising strategy for the treatment of choroidal uveal melanoma.
PubMed: 38851409
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124300 -
Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) May 2024Patients with an ileostomy are at increased risk of dehydration and sodium depletion. Treatments recommended may include oral rehydration solutions (ORS). We aimed to...
BACKGROUND & AIM
Patients with an ileostomy are at increased risk of dehydration and sodium depletion. Treatments recommended may include oral rehydration solutions (ORS). We aimed to investigate if protein type or protein hydrolysation affects absorption from iso-osmolar ORS in patients with an ileostomy.
METHODS
This was a randomised, double-blinded, active comparator-controlled 3 × 3 crossover intervention study. We developed three protein-based ORS with whey protein isolate, caseinate or whey protein hydrolysate. The solutions contained 40-48 g protein/L, 34-45 mmol sodium/L and had an osmolality of 248-270 mOsm/kg. The patients ingested 500 mL/d. The study consisted of three 4-week periods with a >2-week washout between each intervention. The primary outcome was wet-weight ileostomy output. Ileostomy output and urine were collected for a 24-h period before and after each intervention. Additionally, blood sampling, dietary records, muscle-strength tests, bioimpedance analyses, questionnaires and psychometric tests were conducted.
RESULTS
We included 14 patients, of whom 13 completed at least one intervention. Ten patients completed all three interventions. Wet-weight ileostomy output did not change following either of the three interventions and did not differ between interventions (p = 0.38). A cluster of statistically significant improvements related to absorption was observed following the intake of whey protein isolate ORS, including decreased faecal losses of energy (-365 kJ/d, 95% confidence interval (CI), -643 to -87, p = 0.012), potassium (-7.8 mmol/L, 95%CI, -12.0 to -3.6, p = 0.001), magnesium (-4.0 mmol/L, 95%CI, -7.4 to -0.7, p = 0.020), improved plasma aldosterone (-4674 pmol/L 95%CI, -8536 to -812, p = 0.019), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (2.8 mL/min/1.73 m, 95%CI, 0.3 to 5.4, p = 0.03) and CO (1.7 mmol/L 95%CI, 0.1 to 3.3, p = 0.04).
CONCLUSION
Ingestion of 500 mL/d of iso-osmolar solutions containing either whey protein isolate, caseinate or whey protein hydrolysate for four weeks resulted in unchanged and comparable ileostomy outputs in patients with an ileostomy. Following whey protein isolate ORS, we observed discrete improvements in a series of absorption proxies in both faeces and blood, indicating increased absorption. The protein-based ORS were safe and well-tolerated. Treatments should be tailored to each patient, and future studies are warranted to explore treatment-effect heterogeneity and whether different compositions or doses of ORS can improve absorption and nutritional status in patients with an ileostomy.
GOV STUDY IDENTIFIER
NCT04141826.
PubMed: 38850996
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.05.038