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The post-exercise hepcidin response during prolonged (>2 weeks) hypoxic exposure is not well understood. We compared plasma hepcidin levels 3 h after exercise [6 × 1000 m at 90% of maximal aerobic running velocity ( vVO2max)] performed in normoxia and normobaric hypoxia (3000 m simulate altitude) 1 week before, and during 14 days of normobaric hypoxia [196.2 ± 25.6 h (median: 200.8 h; range: 154.3-234.8 h) at 3000 m simulated altitude] in 10 well-trained distance runners (six males, four females). Venous blood was also analyzed for hepcidin after 2 days of normobaric hypoxia. Hemoglobin mass (Hbmass) was measured via CO rebreathing 1 week before and after 14 days of hypoxia. Hepcidin was suppressed after 2 (Cohen's d = −2.3, 95% confidence interval: [−2.9, −1.6]) and 14 days of normobaric hypoxia ( d = −1.6 [−2.6, −0.6]). Hepcidin increased from baseline, 3 h post-exercise in normoxia ( d = 0.8 [0.2, 1.3]) and hypoxia ( d = 0.6 [0.3, 1.0]), both before and after exposure (normoxia: d = 0.7 [0.3, 1.2]; hypoxia: d = 1.3 [0.4, 2.3]). In conclusion, 2 weeks of normobaric hypoxia suppressed resting hepcidin levels, but did not alter the post-exercise response in either normoxia or hypoxia, compared with the pre-exposure response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an investigation of the potential for pearl production in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, changes in the physical and reproductive condition of the pearl oyster, Pinctada imbricata, were monitored for over 2 years. Using wild oysters gathered from close to the southern extent of the species' range in Port Stephens, NSW, a series of macroscopic and histological observations were made. Reproductive activity in P. imbricata was greatest from late spring to early autumn with oysters in poor reproductive condition during winter. Peaks in reproductive indices occurred in November 1998, March 1999, December 1999 and April 2000. Four indices of physiological condition were used: shell growth, byssal attachment, mantle thickness and mucoprotien layer. With the exception of the thickness and extent of the mucoprotein layer, these indices either showed little variation or the variation that occurred was not related to seasonal or reproductive changes. Changes in the mucoprotein layer were correlated with water temperature and suggest that this layer is metabolized during periods of high demand such as during gonadogenesis. Collectors deployed at two sites in Port Stephens demonstrated that spatfall occurs largely in the months of December and January following the spring and early summer peaks in reproductive activity (November 1998 and December 1999). Spatfall was not observed following the autumnal peaks (March 1999 and April 2000) in reproductive activity. Overall, reproductive patterns in P. imbricata are poorly suited to spat supply in Port Stephens. Farmers require spat in early spring (September) to allow maximum use of the ‘growing’ season (September–May). Reproductively capable oysters are not available from the wild until September and quantity of natural spatfall is too variable and occurs too late in the season (December–January). As a result, oysters are being conditioned in the hatchery in July, spawned in August and spat are supplied to farmers in mid September. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The stratification of individuals suffering from acute and post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection remains a critical challenge. Notably, biomarkers able to specifically monitor viral progression, providing details about patient clinical status, are still not available. Herein, quantitative metabolomics is progressively recognized as a useful tool to describe the consequences of virus-host interactions considering also clinical metadata., Methods: The present study characterized the urinary metabolic profile of 243 infected individuals by quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Results were compared with a historical cohort of noninfected subjects. Moreover, we assessed the concentration of recently identified antiviral nucleosides and their association with other metabolites and clinical data., Results: Urinary metabolomics can stratify patients into classes of disease severity, with a discrimination ability comparable to that of clinical biomarkers. Kynurenines showed the highest fold change in clinically-deteriorated patients and higher-risk subjects. Unique metabolite clusters were also generated based on age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Changes in the concentration of antiviral nucleosides were associated with either other metabolites or clinical variables. Increased kynurenines and reduced trigonelline excretion indicated a disrupted nicotinamide adenine nucleotide (NAD + ) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) pathway., Conclusions: Our results confirm the potential of urinary metabolomics for noninvasive diagnostic/prognostic screening and show that the antiviral nucleosides could represent novel biomarkers linking viral load, immune response, and metabolism. Moreover, we established for the first time a casual link between kynurenine accumulation and deranged NAD + /SIRT1, offering a novel mechanism through which SARS-CoV-2 manipulates host physiology., (© 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a significant reduction in lipoprotein-bound serum phospholipids give rise to supramolecular phospholipid composite (SPC) signals observed in diffusion and relaxation edited 1 H NMR spectra. To characterize the chemical structural components and compartmental location of SPC and to understand further its possible diagnostic properties, we applied a Statistical HeterospectroscopY in n -dimensions (SHY- n ) approach. This involved statistically linking a series of orthogonal measurements made on the same samples, using independent analytical techniques and instruments, to identify the major individual phospholipid components giving rise to the SPC signals. Thus, an integrated model for SARS-CoV-2 positive and control adults is presented that relates three identified diagnostic subregions of the SPC signal envelope (SPC 1 , SPC 2 , and SPC 3 ) generated using diffusion and relaxation edited (DIRE) NMR spectroscopy to lipoprotein and lipid measurements obtained by in vitro diagnostic NMR spectroscopy and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The SPC signals were then correlated sequentially with (a) total phospholipids in lipoprotein subfractions; (b) apolipoproteins B100, A1, and A2 in different lipoproteins and subcompartments; and (c) MS-measured total serum phosphatidylcholines present in the NMR detection range (i.e., PCs: 16.0,18.2; 18.0,18.1; 18.2,18.2; 16.0,18.1; 16.0,20.4; 18.0,18.2; 18.1,18.2), lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs: 16.0 and 18.2), and sphingomyelin (SM 22.1). The SPC 3 /SPC 2 ratio correlated strongly ( r = 0.86) with the apolipoprotein B100/A1 ratio, a well-established marker of cardiovascular disease risk that is markedly elevated during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. These data indicate the considerable potential of using a serum SPC measurement as a metric of cardiovascular risk based on a single NMR experiment. This is of specific interest in relation to understanding the potential for increased cardiovascular risk in COVID-19 patients and risk persistence in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS).

This article investigates the quality of cancer reporting from a time of prosperity to a time of austerity for the press. Australia is a useful case study because of its concentrated press media market that has experienced a decline in the number of newsroom reporters from the 20 th to the 21 st century. We undertake a content analysis of news stories published in 1997 and 2017 about cancer treatments and cancer medical research. Using keyword searching techniques of the news database Factiva , 633 news reports about cancer were detected. Of these, 120 stories met the research criteria. Each story was assessed across eight variables using a coding tool, the Media Quality Index (MQI). The study finds 2017 stories had lower scores (equating to less quality) across all eight variables compared to the 1997 cohort. Of statistical significance, 2017 stories were less likely to quantify the benefits of a proposed intervention, while stories discussing medical research were less comprehensive about research findings. The 2017 stories were less likely to discuss side effects or the potential for harm, and were more sensational, with incongruent headlines compared to content. The empirical evidence pointing to a deterioration in mainstream media reporting about cancer has implications for broader health literacy. It may foster unrealistic patient expectations about clinical practice and treatment options, with public policy implications such as overutilization of health services. The study serves as a reminder to medical practitioners that health communication directly with patients is vital as media reporting alone cannot reliably inform patients about their cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Captive breeding is a vital tool in the conservation of highly endangered species, as it is for the Margaret River hairy marron, Cherax tenuimanus , from the south west of Australia. A close relative, Cherax cainii , has almost completely displaced C. tenuimanus in the wild and is a successful aquaculture species, whereas C. tenuimanus has performed poorly in captivity. We used untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to obtain metabolomic profiles of female and male C. tenuimanus held in controlled aquarium conditions during their reproductive period. Using repeated haemolymph sampling we tracked the metabolomic profiles of animals just prior to and for a period of up to 34 days after pairing with a similar sized potential mate. We identified 54 reproducible annotated metabolites including amino acids, fatty acids, biogenic amines, purine and pyrimidine metabolites and excretion metabolites. Hierarchical clustering analysis distinguished five metabolite clusters. Principal component-canonical variate analysis clearly distinguished females from males, both unpaired and paired; similar trends in profile changes in both sexes after pairing; and a striking shift in males upon pairing. We discuss three main patterns of metabolomic responses: differentiation between sexes; reactive responses to the disturbance of pairing; and convergent response to the disturbance of pairing for males. Females generally had higher concentrations of metabolites involved in metabolic rate, mobilisation of energy stores and stress. Responses to the disturbance of pairing were also related to elevated stress. Females were mobilising lipid stores to deposit yolk, whereas males had a rapid and strong response to pairing, with shifts in metabolites associated with gonad development and communication, indicating males could complete reproductive readiness only once paired with a female. The metabolomic profiles support a previously proposed potential mechanism for displacement of C. tenuimanus by C. cainii in the wild and identify several biomarkers for testing hypotheses regarding reproductive success using targeted metabolomics., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Lette, Burnham, Lawler, Horwitz, Boyce, Broadhurst, Duffy and Koenders.)

Although zebrafish continue to increase in popularity as a vertebrate animal model for biomedical research, chronic infectious diseases in laboratory populations remain prevalent. The presence of pathogens such as Pseudocapillaria tomentosa, a parasitic nematode found in the intestine of infected zebrafish, can significantly influence experimental endpoints and negatively impact reproducibility of research findings. Thus, there is a need for screening tests for zebrafish with the sensitivity to detect even low levels of pathogens present in tissues. Assays based on the detection of DNA are commonly used for such screening tests. Newer technologies such as digital PCR provide an opportunity to improve the sensitivity and precision of these assays, so they can be reliably used to detect pathogen DNA in water, reducing the need for lethal testing. We have designed a qPCR-based assay with the sensitivity to detect less than 5 copies of the P. tomentosa SSU-rDNA gene in tissues of infected zebrafish and environmental DNA from aquarium water housing infected fish. In addition, we adapted this test to a dPCR platform to provide a precise quantification of P. tomentosa DNA and demonstrate the resistance of this assay to inhibitors commonly found in freshwater aquaria., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Sepsis is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and costs of care. Although several therapies improve outcomes in patients with sepsis, rigorously developed measures to evaluate quality of sepsis care in the intensive care unit (ICU) are lacking., Methods: To select an initial set of candidate measures, in 2003-2004 an interdisciplinary panel reviewed the literature and used a modified nominal group technique to identify interventions that improve outcomes of patients with sepsis in the ICU. Design specifications or explicit definitions for each candidate measure were developed., Results: Ten potential measures were identified: vancomycin administration, time to vancomycin initiation, broad-spectrum antibiotic administration, time to broad-spectrum antibiotic initiation, blood culture collection, steroid administration, corticotropin stimulation test administration, activated protein C eligibility assessment, activated protein C administration, and vancomycin discontinuation., Discussion: The identification of potential measures of quality of care for patients with sepsis can help caregivers to focus on evidence-based interventions that improve mortality and to evaluate their current performance. Further work is needed to evaluate the feasibility and validity of the measures.

For women, the temporal relationship between Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and alcoholism is unclear. Driving while intoxicated is both a symptom of ASPD and the alcohol-related problem most typically reported by women. Accordingly, a period prevalence sample of 33 women incarcerated for drunken driving offenses was assessed with the SCID to identify other symptoms of ASPD. Excluding behaviors that only occurred while drinking, only 1 of the 33 women met DSM-III-R criteria for ASPD. When behaviors while drinking were included, 18.2% (n = 7) met criteria for ASPD by having both a history of childhood conduct disorder and characteristic ASPD behaviors as adults. However, 57.6% of the sample displayed the pattern of adult behavioral symptoms without a history of childhood conduct disorder (n = 19). Women with a history of conduct disorder and ASPD had a younger mean age of onset of alcohol dependence (16.8 vs 25.6 years) and a higher rate of concurrent borderline personality disorder (85.7 vs 42.1%) than did women who had only adult symptoms of ASPD, but a similar rate of reported parental alcoholism (71.4 vs 72.2%). With one exception, women who were diagnosed with full ASPD with childhood conduct disorder (n = 6) had been truant and had run away from home, but none reported cruelty to animals, vandalism, or arson in childhood. Thus, behaviors diagnostic of ASPD were largely consequent to substance abuse, and childhood behaviors were limited predictors of ASPD. Relationships among gender, prodromal behaviors, and substance abuse appear more complex than anticipated, and they indicate the need to recognize adult onset ASPD associated with substance abuse as a legitimate diagnosis manifested differently by women and men.