scholarly journals A future for seafood point-of-origin testing using DNA and stable isotope signatures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Cusa ◽  
Katie St John Glew ◽  
Clive Trueman ◽  
Stefano Mariani ◽  
Leah Buckley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Discrimination Power ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Seafood Products ◽  
The Right ◽  
Tool Building

AbstractDemand for seafood products is increasing worldwide, contributing to ever more complex supply chains and posing challenges to trace their origin and guarantee legal, well-managed, sustainable sources from confirmed locations. While DNA-based methods have proven to be reliable in verifying seafood authenticity at the species level, the verification of geographic origin remains inherently more complex. Both genetic and stable isotope analyses have been employed for determining point-of-origin with varying degrees of success, highlighting that their application can be effective when the right tool is selected for a given application. Developing an a priori prediction of their discrimination power for different applications can help avoid the financial cost of developing inappropriate reference datasets. Here, we reviewed the application of both techniques to seafood point-of-origin for 63 commercial finfish species certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, and showed that, even for those species where baseline data exist, real applications are scarce. To fill these gaps, we synthesised current knowledge on biological and biogeochemical mechanisms that underpin spatial variations in genetic and isotopic signatures. We describe which species’ biological and distribution traits are most helpful in predicting effectiveness of each tool. Building on this, we applied a mechanistic approach to predicting the potential for successful validation of origin to three case study fisheries, using combined genetic and isotopic methodologies to distinguish individuals from certified versus non-certified regions. Beyond ecolabelling applications, the framework we describe could be reproduced by governments and industries to select the most cost-effective techniques. Graphic abstract

scholarly journals Molecular sexing of degraded DNA from elephants and mammoths: a genotyping assay relevant both to conservation biology and to paleogenetics

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laetitia Aznar-Cormano ◽  
Julie Bonnald ◽  
Sabrina Krief ◽  
Nelson Guma ◽  
Régis Debruyne
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Degraded Dna ◽  
Molecular Sexing ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
The Right ◽  
High Level

AbstractIt is important to determine the sex of elephants from their samples—faeces from the field or seized ivory—for forensic reasons or to understand population demography and genetic structure. Molecular sexing methods developed in the last two decades have often shown limited efficiency, particularly in terms of sensitivity and specificity, due to the degradation of DNA in these samples. These limitations have also prevented their use with ancient DNA samples of elephants or mammoths. Here we propose a novel TaqMan-MGB qPCR assay to address these difficulties. We designed it specifically to allow the characterization of the genetic sex for highly degraded samples of all elephantine taxa (elephants and mammoths). In vitro experiments demonstrated a high level of sensitivity and low contamination risks. We applied this assay in two actual case studies where it consistently recovered the right genotype for specimens of known sex a priori. In the context of a modern conservation survey of African elephants, it allowed determining the sex for over 99% of fecal samples. In a paleogenetic analysis of woolly mammoths, it produced a robust hypothesis of the sex for over 65% of the specimens out of three PCR replicates. This simple, rapid, and cost-effective procedure makes it readily applicable to large sample sizes.

scholarly journals Echocardiography in the evaluation of athletes

F1000Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Grazioli ◽  
Maria Sanz ◽  
Silvia Montserrat ◽  
Bàrbara Vidal ◽  
Marta Sitges
Keyword(s):  
Left Ventricle ◽  
Sudden Death ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Sports Cardiology ◽  
Left Ventricle Hypertrophy ◽  
Cardiac Adaptation ◽  
Ventricle Hypertrophy ◽  
The Right

Echocardiography is currently a widely available imaging technique that can provide useful data in the field of sports cardiology particularly in two areas: pre-participation screening and analysis of the cardiac adaptation induced by exercise.The application of pre-participation screening and especially, the type and number of used diagnostic tests remains controversial. Echocardiography has shown though, higher sensitivity and specificity as compared to the ECG, following a protocol adapted to athletes focused on ruling out the causes of sudden death and the most common disorders in this population. It is still a subject of controversy the actual cost of adding it, but depending on the type of sport, echocardiography might be cost-effective if added in the first line of examination.Regarding the evaluation of cardiac adaptation to training in athletes,  echocardiography has proved to be useful in the differential diagnosis of diseases that can cause sudden death, analysing both the left ventricle (hypertrophy cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, left ventricle non compaction) and the right ventricle (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy).The aim of this paper is to review the current knowledge and the clinical practical implications of it on the field of echocardiography when applied in sport cardiology areas.

scholarly journals Bone morphogenetic proteins, breast cancer, and bone metastases: striking the right balance

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. R349-R366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Zabkiewicz ◽  
Jeyna Resaul ◽  
Rachel Hargest ◽  
Wen Guo Jiang ◽  
Lin Ye
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Breast Tumour ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Foetal Development ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Right

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) belong to the TGF-β super family, and are essential for the regulation of foetal development, tissue differentiation and homeostasis and a multitude of cellular functions. Naturally, this has led to the exploration of aberrance in this highly regulated system as a key factor in tumourigenesis. Originally identified for their role in osteogenesis and bone turnover, attention has been turned to the potential role of BMPs in tumour metastases to, and progression within, the bone niche. This is particularly pertinent to breast cancer, which commonly metastasises to bone, and in which studies have revealed aberrations of both BMP expression and signalling, which correlate clinically with breast cancer progression. Ultimately a BMP profile could provide new prognostic disease markers. As the evidence suggests a role for BMPs in regulating breast tumour cellular function, in particular interactions with tumour stroma and the bone metastatic microenvironment, there may be novel therapeutic potential in targeting BMP signalling in breast cancer. This review provides an update on the current knowledge of BMP abnormalities and their implication in the development and progression of breast cancer, particularly in the disease-specific bone metastasis.

scholarly journals Prostate Cancer Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers’ Clinical Utility in Diagnosis and Prognosis

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3373
Author(s):  
Milena Matuszczak ◽  
Jack A. Schalken ◽  
Maciej Salagierski
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Liquid Biopsy ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Prostate Gland ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Transrectal Ultrasound ◽  
Digital Rectal Examination ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in men worldwide. The current gold standard for diagnosing PCa relies on a transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic core needle biopsy indicated after detection changes in a digital rectal examination (DRE) and elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level in the blood serum. PSA is a marker produced by prostate cells, not just cancer cells. Therefore, an elevated PSA level may be associated with other symptoms such as benign prostatic hyperplasia or inflammation of the prostate gland. Due to this marker’s low specificity, a common problem is overdiagnosis, which leads to unnecessary biopsies and overtreatment. This is associated with various treatment complications (such as bleeding or infection) and generates unnecessary costs. Therefore, there is no doubt that the improvement of the current procedure by applying effective, sensitive and specific markers is an urgent need. Several non-invasive, cost-effective, high-accuracy liquid biopsy diagnostic biomarkers such as Progensa PCA3, MyProstateScore ExoDx, SelectMDx, PHI, 4K, Stockholm3 and ConfirmMDx have been developed in recent years. This article compares current knowledge about them and their potential application in clinical practice.

scholarly journals Sporulation in solventogenic and acetogenic clostridia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamou Diallo ◽  
Servé W. M. Kengen ◽  
Ana M. López-Contreras
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Biotechnological Production ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Sporulation Initiation ◽  
Solventogenic Clostridia

AbstractThe Clostridium genus harbors compelling organisms for biotechnological production processes; while acetogenic clostridia can fix C1-compounds to produce acetate and ethanol, solventogenic clostridia can utilize a wide range of carbon sources to produce commercially valuable carboxylic acids, alcohols, and ketones by fermentation. Despite their potential, the conversion by these bacteria of carbohydrates or C1 compounds to alcohols is not cost-effective enough to result in economically viable processes. Engineering solventogenic clostridia by impairing sporulation is one of the investigated approaches to improve solvent productivity. Sporulation is a cell differentiation process triggered in bacteria in response to exposure to environmental stressors. The generated spores are metabolically inactive but resistant to harsh conditions (UV, chemicals, heat, oxygen). In Firmicutes, sporulation has been mainly studied in bacilli and pathogenic clostridia, and our knowledge of sporulation in solvent-producing or acetogenic clostridia is limited. Still, sporulation is an integral part of the cellular physiology of clostridia; thus, understanding the regulation of sporulation and its connection to solvent production may give clues to improve the performance of solventogenic clostridia. This review aims to provide an overview of the triggers, characteristics, and regulatory mechanism of sporulation in solventogenic clostridia. Those are further compared to the current knowledge on sporulation in the industrially relevant acetogenic clostridia. Finally, the potential applications of spores for process improvement are discussed.Key Points• The regulatory network governing sporulation initiation varies in solventogenic clostridia.• Media composition and cell density are the main triggers of sporulation.• Spores can be used to improve the fermentation process.

scholarly journals Pulmonary Hypertension in Acute and Chronic High Altitude Maladaptation Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1692
Author(s):  
Akylbek Sydykov ◽  
Argen Mamazhakypov ◽  
Abdirashit Maripov ◽  
Djuro Kosanovic ◽  
Norbert Weissmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Hypertension ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Clinical Experience ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Right Heart Failure ◽  
Channel Blockers ◽  
The Right ◽  
Extensive Clinical Experience

Alveolar hypoxia is the most prominent feature of high altitude environment with well-known consequences for the cardio-pulmonary system, including development of pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension due to an exaggerated hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction contributes to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a life-threatening disorder, occurring at high altitudes in non-acclimatized healthy individuals. Despite a strong physiologic rationale for using vasodilators for prevention and treatment of HAPE, no systematic studies of their efficacy have been conducted to date. Calcium-channel blockers are currently recommended for drug prophylaxis in high-risk individuals with a clear history of recurrent HAPE based on the extensive clinical experience with nifedipine in HAPE prevention in susceptible individuals. Chronic exposure to hypoxia induces pulmonary vascular remodeling and development of pulmonary hypertension, which places an increased pressure load on the right ventricle leading to right heart failure. Further, pulmonary hypertension along with excessive erythrocytosis may complicate chronic mountain sickness, another high altitude maladaptation disorder. Importantly, other causes than hypoxia may potentially underlie and/or contribute to pulmonary hypertension at high altitude, such as chronic heart and lung diseases, thrombotic or embolic diseases. Extensive clinical experience with drugs in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension suggests their potential for treatment of high altitude pulmonary hypertension. Small studies have demonstrated their efficacy in reducing pulmonary artery pressure in high altitude residents. However, no drugs have been approved to date for the therapy of chronic high altitude pulmonary hypertension. This work provides a literature review on the role of pulmonary hypertension in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic high altitude maladaptation disorders and summarizes current knowledge regarding potential treatment options.

On Fourier Series in Eigenfunctions of Elliptic Boundary Value Problems

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-410
Author(s):  
M. S. Agranovich ◽  
B. A. Amosov
Keyword(s):  
Fourier Series ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Fourier Coefficients ◽  
Elliptic Boundary ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Adjoint Problem ◽  
Elliptic Boundary Value ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Right

Abstract We consider a general elliptic formally self-adjoint problem in a bounded domain with homogeneous boundary conditions under the assumption that the boundary and coefficients are infinitely smooth. The operator in 𝐿2(Ω) corresponding to this problem has an orthonormal basis {𝑢𝑙} of eigenfunctions, which are infinitely smooth in . However, the system {𝑢𝑙} is not a basis in Sobolev spaces 𝐻𝑡 (Ω) of high order. We note and discuss the following possibility: for an arbitrarily large 𝑡, for each function 𝑢 ∈ 𝐻𝑡 (Ω) one can explicitly construct a function 𝑢0 ∈ 𝐻𝑡 (Ω) such that the Fourier series of the difference 𝑢 – 𝑢0 in the functions 𝑢𝑙 converges to this difference in 𝐻𝑡 (Ω). Moreover, the function 𝑢(𝑥) is viewed as a solution of the corresponding nonhomogeneous elliptic problem and is not assumed to be known a priori; only the right-hand sides of the elliptic equation and the boundary conditions for 𝑢 are assumed to be given. These data are also sufficient for the computation of the Fourier coefficients of 𝑢 – 𝑢0. The function 𝑢0 is obtained by applying some linear operator to these right-hand sides.

The champions' mitochondria: is it genetically determined? A review on mitochondrial DNA and elite athletic performance

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (13) ◽  
pp. 789-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nir Eynon ◽  
María Morán ◽  
Ruth Birk ◽  
Alejandro Lucia
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Endurance Exercise ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Aerobic Performance ◽  
East African ◽  
Athletic Status ◽  
The Status ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
Mtdna Variants

Aerobic ATP generation by the mitochondrial respiratory oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) is a vital metabolic process for endurance exercise. Notably, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) codifies 13 of the 83 polypeptides implied in the respiratory chain. As such, there is a strong rationale for identifying an association between mtDNA variants and “aerobic” (endurance) exercise phenotypes. The aim of this review is to summarize current knowledge on the association between mtDNA, nuclear genes involved in mitochondriogenesis, and elite endurance athletic status. Several studies in nonathletic people have demonstrated an association between certain mtDNA lineages and aerobic performance, characterized by maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2max). Whether mtDNA haplogroups are also associated with the status of being an elite endurance athlete is more controversial, with differences between studies arising from the different ethnic backgrounds of the athletic cohorts (Caucasian of mixed geographic origin, Asiatic, or East African).

scholarly journals ERP benefits capability framework: orchestration theory perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 266-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amgad Badewi ◽  
Essam Shehab ◽  
Jing Zeng ◽  
Mostafa Mohamad
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Organizational Capabilities ◽  
Erp Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Financial Perspective ◽  
Complementary Resources ◽  
Benefits Realization ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Right

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to answer two research questions: what are the ERP resources and organizational complementary resources (OCRs) required to achieve each group of benefits? And on the basis of its resources, when should an organization invest more in ERP resources and/or OCRs so that the potential value of its ERP is realised? Design/methodology/approach Studying 12 organizations in different countries and validating the results with 8 consultants. Findings ERP benefits realization capability framework is developed; it shows that each group of benefits requires ERP resources (classified into features, attached technologies and information technology department competences) and OCRs (classified into practices, attitudes, culture, skills and organizational characteristics) and that leaping ahead to gain innovation benefits before being mature enough in realising a firm’s planning and automation capabilities could be a waste of time and effort. Research limitations/implications It is qualitative study. It needs to be backed by quantitative studies to test the results. Practical implications Although the “P” in ERP stands for planning, many academics and practitioners still believe that ERP applies to automation only. This research spotlights that the ability to invest in ERP can increase the innovation and planning capabilities of the organization only if it is extended and grown at the right time and if it is supported by OCRs. It is not cost effective to push an organization to achieve all the benefits at the same time; rather, it is clear that an organization would not be able to enjoy a higher level of benefits until it achieves a significant number of lower-level benefits. Thus, investing in higher-level benefit assets directly after an ERP implementation, when there are no organizational capabilities available to use these assets, could be inefficient. Moreover, it could be stressful to users when they see plenty of new ERP resources without the ability to use them. Although it could be of slight benefit to introduce, for example, business intelligence to employees in the “stabilizing period” (Badewi et al., 2013), from the financial perspective, it is a waste of money since the benefits would not be realised as expected. Therefore, orchestrating ERP assets with the development of organizational capabilities is important for achieving the greatest effectiveness and efficiency of the resources available to the organization. This research can be used as a benchmark for designing the various blueprints required to achieve different groups of benefits from ERP investments. Originality/value This research addresses two novel questions: RQ1: what are the ERP resources and OCRs required to achieve the different kinds of ERP benefits? RQ2: when, and on what basis, should an organization deploy more resources to leverage the ERP business value?

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