In the last decade, a range of drivers within the seafood sector have incentivized the application of traceability to issues beyond food safety and inventory management. Some of the issues motivating ...the expanded use of traceability within the global seafood sector include: increased media attention on the legal and social risks within some seafood supply chains, governmental traceability requirements, private‐sector sustainability commitments, and others. This article begins with an overview of these topics in the seafood industry, and why many nongovernment organizations (NGOs), companies, and government actors have turned to traceability as a tool to address them. We discuss how traceability connects to key requirements of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Later, we review the range of traceability services, tools, software solutions, and the due diligence measures that are currently being leveraged within the seafood sector. The paper concludes with a discussion of several NGO‐ and industry‐led traceability initiatives that are examples of seafood traceability improvements.
Biocompatible gold nanoparticles designed to absorb light at wave-lengths of high tissue transparency have been of particular interest for biomedical applications. The ability of such nanoparticles ...to convert absorbed near-infrared light to heat and induce highly localized hyperthermia has been shown to be highly effective for photothermal cancer therapy, resulting in cell death and tumor remission in a multitude of preclinical animal models. Here we report the initial results of a clinical trial in which laser-excited gold-silica nanoshells (GSNs) were used in combination with magnetic resonance–ultrasound fusion imaging to focally ablate low-intermediate-grade tumors within the prostate. The overall goal is to provide highly localized regional control of prostate cancer that also results in greatly reduced patient morbidity and improved functional outcomes. This pilot device study reports feasibility and safety data from 16 cases of patients diagnosed with low- or intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer. After GSN infusion and high-precision laser ablation, patients underwent multiparametric MRI of the prostate at 48 to 72 h, followed by postprocedure mpMRI/ultrasound targeted fusion biopsies at 3 and 12 mo, as well as a standard 12-core systematic biopsy at 12 mo. GSN-mediated focal laser ablation was successfully achieved in 94% (15/16) of patients, with no significant difference in International Prostate Symptom Score or Sexual Health Inventory for Men observed after treatment. This treatment protocol appears to be feasible and safe in men with low- or intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer without serious complications or deleterious changes in genitourinary function.
In recent decades, advances in lighting technology have precipitated exponential increases in night sky brightness worldwide, raising concerns in the scientific community about the impact of ...artificial light at night (ALAN) on crepuscular and nocturnal biodiversity. Long‐term records show that insect abundance has declined significantly over this time, with worrying implications for terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of investigations into the vulnerability of nocturnal insects to artificial light have focused on the flight‐to‐light behavior exhibited by select insect families. However, ALAN can affect insects in other ways as well. This review proposes five categories of ALAN impact on nocturnal insects, highlighting past research and identifying key knowledge gaps. We conclude with a summary of relevant literature on bioluminescent fireflies, which emphasizes the unique vulnerability of terrestrial light‐based communication systems to artificial illumination. Comprehensive understanding of the ecological impacts of ALAN on diverse nocturnal insect taxa will enable researchers to seek out methods whereby fireflies, moths, and other essential members of the nocturnal ecosystem can coexist with humans on an increasingly urbanized planet.
In recent decades, advances in lighting technology have precipitated exponential increases in night sky brightness worldwide, raising concerns in the scientific community about the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on crepuscular and nocturnal biodiversity. Long‐term records show that insect abundance has declined significantly over this time, with worrying implications for terrestrial ecosystems. This review proposes five categories of ALAN impact on nocturnal insects, highlighting past research and identifying key knowledge gaps. We conclude with a summary of relevant literature on bioluminescent fireflies, which emphasizes the unique vulnerability of terrestrial light‐based communication systems to artificial illumination.
Ageing of the immune system, or immunosenescence, contributes to the morbidity and mortality of the elderly
. To define the contribution of immune system ageing to organism ageing, here we ...selectively deleted Ercc1, which encodes a crucial DNA repair protein
, in mouse haematopoietic cells to increase the burden of endogenous DNA damage and thereby senescence
in the immune system only. We show that Vav-iCre
;Ercc1
mice were healthy into adulthood, then displayed premature onset of immunosenescence characterized by attrition and senescence of specific immune cell populations and impaired immune function, similar to changes that occur during ageing in wild-type mice
. Notably, non-lymphoid organs also showed increased senescence and damage, which suggests that senescent, aged immune cells can promote systemic ageing. The transplantation of splenocytes from Vav-iCre
;Ercc1
or aged wild-type mice into young mice induced senescence in trans, whereas the transplantation of young immune cells attenuated senescence. The treatment of Vav-iCre
;Ercc1
mice with rapamycin reduced markers of senescence in immune cells and improved immune function
. These data demonstrate that an aged, senescent immune system has a causal role in driving systemic ageing and therefore represents a key therapeutic target to extend healthy ageing.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE—The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a selectively permeable cerebrovascular endothelial barrier that maintains homeostasis between the periphery and the central nervous system. ...BBB disruption is a consequence of ischemic stroke and BBB permeability can be altered by infection/inflammation, but the complex cellular and molecular changes that result in this BBB alteration need to be elucidated to determine mechanisms.
METHODS—Infection mimic (lipopolysaccharide) challenge on infarct volume, BBB permeability, infiltrated neutrophils, and functional outcomes after murine transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in vivo; mitochondrial evaluation of cerebrovascular endothelial cells challenged by lipopolysaccharide in vitro; pharmacological inhibition of mitochondria on BBB permeability in vitro and in vivo; the effects of mitochondrial inhibitor on BBB permeability, infarct volume, and functional outcomes after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion.
RESULTS—We report here that lipopolysaccharide worsens ischemic stroke outcome and increases BBB permeability after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice. Furthermore, we elucidate a novel mechanism that compromised mitochondrial function accounts for increased BBB permeability as evidenced bylipopolysaccharide-induced reductions in oxidative phosphorylation and subunit expression of respiratory chain complexes in cerebrovascular endothelial cells, a compromised BBB permeability induced by pharmacological inhibition of mitochondrial function in cerebrovascular endothelial cells in vitro and in an in vivo animal model, and worsened stroke outcomes in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion mice after inhibition of mitochondrial function.
CONCLUSIONS—We concluded that mitochondria are key players in BBB permeability. These novel findings suggest a potential new therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke by endothelial cell mitochondrial regulation.
An inexpensive and disposable paper-based lateral flow strip (PLFS) has been developed as an immunoassay, in which surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is utilized for sensing signal ...transduction. The Au nanostar@Raman Reporter@silica sandwich nanoparticles are developed as the SERS probes, which is the key to the high sensitivity of the device. Compared with a colorimetric PLFS, the SERS-PLFS exhibits superior performance in terms of sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD) in a blood plasma-containing sample matrix. In addition, the SERS-PLFS has been successfully used for detection of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a traumatic brain injury (TBI) protein biomarker, in diluted blood plasma samples, achieving a LOD of 0.86 ng/mL. Moreover, the SERS-PLFS was successfully employed to measure the NSE level in clinical blood plasma samples taken from deidentified TBI patients. This work demonstrates that the SERS-PLFS has great potential in assisting screening of TBI patients in the point-of-care setting.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the core neurodevelopmental disorder affecting movement. Several distinct movement disorders can occur in people with cerebral palsy. Dystonia is a movement disorder that ...causes non-velocity-dependent hypertonia and/or abnormal, often repetitive, twisting movements, and/or postures. Dystonia occurs more frequently in patients with CP than has been recognized previously, and is treated differently than other aspects of CP. Dystonia is an important cause of chronic pain, hospitalization, and musculoskeletal complications. We describe recent advances in dystonia diagnosis in patients with cerebral palsy and highlight focus areas for ongoing research and clinical care. IMPACT: Dystonia is a movement disorder that is more common in people with cerebral palsy (CP) than previously thought. Dystonia contributes to hospitalization, chronic pain, and complications in CP patients. People with dystonic CP require different tools to diagnose and treat their condition. We summarize current state of the art in dystonia in CP and identify areas of focus for future work.Cerebral palsy (CP) is the core neurodevelopmental disorder affecting movement. Several distinct movement disorders can occur in people with cerebral palsy. Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes non-velocity-dependent hypertonia and/or abnormal, often repetitive, twisting movements, and/or postures. Dystonia occurs more frequently in patients with CP than has been recognized previously, and is treated differently than other aspects of CP. Dystonia is an important cause of chronic pain, hospitalization, and musculoskeletal complications. We describe recent advances in dystonia diagnosis in patients with cerebral palsy and highlight focus areas for ongoing research and clinical care. IMPACT: Dystonia is a movement disorder that is more common in people with cerebral palsy (CP) than previously thought. Dystonia contributes to hospitalization, chronic pain, and complications in CP patients. People with dystonic CP require different tools to diagnose and treat their condition. We summarize current state of the art in dystonia in CP and identify areas of focus for future work.
Although the primary function of mating is gamete transfer, male ejaculates contain numerous other substances that are produced by accessory glands and transferred to females during mating. Studies ...with several model organisms have shown that these substances can exert diverse behavioural and physiological effects on females, including altered longevity and reproductive output, yet a comprehensive synthesis across taxa is lacking. Here we use a meta‐analytic approach to synthesize quantitatively extensive experimental work examining how male ejaculate quantity affects different components of female fitness. We summarize effect sizes for female fecundity (partial and lifetime) and longevity from 84 studies conducted on 70 arthropod species that yielded a total of 130 comparisons of female fecundity and 61 comparisons of female longevity. In response to greater amounts of ejaculate, arthropod females demonstrate enhanced fecundity (both partial and lifetime) but reduced longevity, particularly for Diptera and Lepidoptera. Across taxa, multiply mated females show particularly large fecundity increases compared to singly mated females, indicating that single matings do not maximize female fitness. This fecundity increase is balanced by a slight negative effect on lifespan, with females that received more ejaculate through polyandrous matings showing greater reductions in lifespan compared with females that have mated repeatedly with the same male. We found no significant effect size differences for either female fecundity or longevity between taxa that transfer sperm packaged into spermatophores compared to taxa that transfer ejaculates containing free sperm. Furthermore, females that received relatively larger or more spermatophores demonstrated greater lifetime fecundity, indicating that these seminal nuptial gifts provide females with a net fitness benefit. These results contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary origin and maintenance of non‐sperm ejaculate components, and provide insight into female mate choice and optimal mating patterns.
Objectives
To develop a nomogram for predicting side‐specific extracapsular extension (ECE) for planning nerve‐sparing radical prostatectomy.
Materials and Methods
We retrospectively analysed data ...from 561 patients who underwent robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy between February 2014 and October 2015. To develop a side‐specific predictive model, we considered the prostatic lobes separately. Four variables were included: prostate‐specific antigen; highest ipsilateral biopsy Gleason grade; highest ipsilateral percentage core involvement; and ECE on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI). A multivariable logistic regression analysis was fitted to predict side‐specific ECE. A nomogram was built based on the coefficients of the logit function. Internal validation was performed using ‘leave‐one‐out’ cross‐validation. Calibration was graphically investigated. The decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the net clinical benefit.
Results
The study population consisted of 829 side‐specific cases, after excluding negative biopsy observations (n = 293). ECE was reported on mpMRI and final pathology in 115 (14%) and 142 (17.1%) cases, respectively. Among these, mpMRI was able to predict ECE correctly in 57 (40.1%) cases. All variables in the model except highest percentage core involvement were predictors of ECE (all P ≤ 0.006). All variables were considered for inclusion in the nomogram. After internal validation, the area under the curve was 82.11%. The model demonstrated excellent calibration and improved clinical risk prediction, especially when compared with relying on mpMRI prediction of ECE alone. When retrospectively applying the nomogram‐derived probability, using a 20% threshold for performing nerve‐sparing, nine out of 14 positive surgical margins (PSMs) at the site of ECE resulted above the threshold.
Conclusion
We developed an easy‐to‐use model for the prediction of side‐specific ECE, and hope it serves as a tool for planning nerve‐sparing radical prostatectomy and in the reduction of PSM in future series.
Many key advances in our understanding of firefly biology and signaling have been made over the past two decades. Here we review this recent research, which includes new phylogenetic results that ...shed light on the evolution of courtship signal diversity within the family Lampyridae, new insights into firefly flash control, and the discovery of firefly nuptial gifts. We present a comprehensive overview of sexual selection in lampyrids, including evidence from Photinus fireflies that females choose their mates on the basis of male flash signals, and discuss the importance of examining both precopulatory and postcopulatory sexual selection in this group. Finally, we review recent findings on firefly chemical defenses, and discuss their implications for flash signal evolution in response to generalist predators as well as specialist predatory fireflies. This review provides new insight into how firefly flash signals have been shaped by the dual evolutionary processes of sexual selection (mate choice) and natural selection (predation), and proposes several exciting directions for future research.
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