scholarly journals The weaker sex: Male lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) with blue color polymorphism are more burdened by parasites than are other sex–color combinations

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261202
Author(s):  
Chelsea L. Wood ◽  
Katie L. Leslie ◽  
Alanna Greene ◽  
Laurel S. Lam ◽  
Bonnie Basnett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parasite Burden ◽  
Liver Weight ◽  
Color Polymorphism ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Hepatosomatic Index ◽  
Color Morph ◽  
Blue Color ◽  
Ophiodon Elongatus ◽  
Color Combinations ◽  
Blue Coloration

The unusual blue color polymorphism of lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) is the subject of much speculation but little empirical research; ~20% of lingcod individuals exhibit this striking blue color morph, which is discrete from and found within the same populations as the more common brown morph. In other species, color polymorphisms are intimately linked with host–parasite interactions, which led us to ask whether blue coloration in lingcod might be associated with parasitism, either as cause or effect. To test how color and parasitism are related in this host species, we performed parasitological dissection of 89 lingcod individuals collected across more than 26 degrees of latitude from Alaska, Washington, and California, USA. We found that male lingcod carried 1.89 times more parasites if they were blue than if they were brown, whereas there was no difference in parasite burden between blue and brown female lingcod. Blue individuals of both sexes had lower hepatosomatic index (i.e., relative liver weight) values than did brown individuals, indicating that blueness is associated with poor body condition. The immune systems of male vertebrates are typically less effective than those of females, due to the immunocompromising properties of male sex hormones; this might explain why blueness is associated with elevated parasite burdens in males but not in females. What remains to be determined is whether parasites induce physiological damage that produces blueness or if both blue coloration and parasite burden are driven by some unmeasured variable, such as starvation. Although our study cannot discriminate between these possibilities, our data suggest that the immune system could be involved in the blue color polymorphism–an exciting jumping-off point for future research to definitively identify the cause of lingcod blueness and a hint that immunocompetence and parasitism may play a role in lingcod population dynamics.

scholarly journals Systematic Review of Biomarkers To Monitor Therapeutic Response in Leishmaniasis

2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke E. Kip ◽  
Manica Balasegaram ◽  
Jos H. Beijnen ◽  
Jan H. M. Schellens ◽  
Peter J. de Vries ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Therapeutic Response ◽  
Parasite Burden ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Kala Azar ◽  
Pharmacodynamic Markers ◽  
Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers ◽  
Antigenic Targets

ABSTRACTRecently, there has been a renewed interest in the development of new drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis. This has spurred the need for pharmacodynamic markers to monitor and compare therapies specifically for visceral leishmaniasis, in which the primary recrudescence of parasites is a particularly long-term event that remains difficult to predict. We performed a systematic review of studies evaluating biomarkers in human patients with visceral, cutaneous, and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, which yielded a total of 170 studies in which 53 potential pharmacodynamic biomarkers were identified. In conclusion, the large majority of these biomarkers constituted universal indirect markers of activation and subsequent waning of cellular immunity and therefore lacked specificity. Macrophage-related markers demonstrate favorable sensitivity and times to normalcy, but more evidence is required to establish a link between these markers and clinical outcome. Most promising are the markers directly related to the parasite burden, but future effort should be focused on optimization of molecular or antigenic targets to increase the sensitivity of these markers. In general, future research should focus on the longitudinal evaluation of the pharmacodynamic biomarkers during treatment, with an emphasis on the correlation of studied biomarkers and clinical parameters.

scholarly journals Benefits of Adding Virginiamycin to Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822) Diet Cultivated in the Brazilian Amazon

Scientifica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jucilene Cavali ◽  
Jerônimo V. Dantas-Filho ◽  
Beatriz A. Nóbrega ◽  
Lucas Henrique V. Andrade ◽  
Rute B. Pontuschka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Farming ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Liver Weight ◽  
Productive Efficiency ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Hepatosomatic Index ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Randomized Design ◽  
Commercial Feed

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological, zootechnical, and environmental benefits of the use of growth-promoting virginiamycin in the pirarucu diet. The research was conducted at the Carlos Eduardo Matiazze Fish Center, Federal University of Rondônia. In this study, 96 pirarucu fish were distributed in excavated nursery, divided into two treatment groups, control (0.0 mg kg−1) and treatment (75.0 mg kg−1) of feed with virginiamycin, with 8 replications in a completely randomized design. With virginiamycin being incorporated into commercial feed, for 107 days of cultivation, the fish were slaughtered with an average weight of 9.18 kg. Carcass weight, flesh, residues, and internal organs/guts were evaluated to calculate slaughter yields, Spearman’s correlation, and subsequently regression. For the quantification of micronuclei, a count of 1,000 cells per blade was determined. The means of the results obtained were contrasted by the Student’s t-test (α = 0.05). Virginiamycin did not cause oscillations in the limnological variables of the nursery but could reduce micronucleated erythrocytes. The average yields in carcass, flesh, and waste were 67.43, 53.4, and 43.14%, respectively. Virginiamycin provided strong correlations (ρ2) for better productive yields and lower slaughter residue. The hepatosomatic index indicated a strong relationship between liver weight and fat. Virginiamycin may be recommended for fish farming in pirarucu fattening because it contributes to the productive efficiency and sustainability of the fish farm system.

Effective Breeding Size and the Adaptive Significance of color Polymorphism in the Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans) in Illinois, U. S. A.

1984 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Color Polymorphism ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Color Morph ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Acris Crepitans ◽  
Color Morphs ◽  
Population Breeding ◽  
Cricket Frog

A three year field study was conducted to investigate the adaptive significance of color polymorphism in the cricket frog, Acris crepitans, in Illinois, U. S. A. Effective population breeding sizes were determined at seven different locations. Population characteristics in Illinois were compared with those from Texas. The three color morphs appear to be of equal survival value for cricket frogs in Illinois. Although strong selection may occur in Texas, small effective breeding sizes suggest that chance plays a major role in determining color morph frequencies in Illinois.

scholarly journals Heat Stress and Feed Restriction Distinctly Affect Performance, Carcass and Meat Yield, Intestinal Integrity, and Inflammatory (Chemo)Cytokines in Broiler Chickens

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nima K. Emami ◽  
Elizabeth S. Greene ◽  
Michael H. Kogut ◽  
Sami Dridi
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Fluorescein Isothiocyanate ◽  
Liver Weight ◽  
Blood Parameters ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Meat Yield ◽  
Carcass Yield

This study was conducted to distinguish the effects of heat stress (HS) and feed intake (FI) on broiler chicken’s physiological responses. Day-old male Cobb 500 broilers (n = 672) were allocated to three treatments: (1) control (CTL): birds raised under normal temperature (23°C) from day 29 to 42; (2) cyclic heat stress (CHS): birds exposed to high temperatures (8 h/day at 35°C; from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm) from day 29 to 42; (3) pair-fed (PF): birds raised under thermoneutral condition but fed the same amount of feed as CHS from day 29 to 42. On day 42, 15 birds/pen were processed, to measure carcass and meat yields. To measure blood parameters and gut integrity (using fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran), on day 42, CHS birds were sampled before (Pre-CHS) and 2 h after (Post-CHS) the temperature increased. Furthermore, after sampling CTL birds, they were exposed to 2h heat and sampled (acute heat stress, AHS). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (JMP Pro15) and significance between treatments identified by LSD (P < 0.05). BW and relative carcass yield were significantly higher in CTL compared to CHS and PF. Compared to CHS, PF had significantly higher BW and lower relative carcass yield. Breast yield was significantly higher for CTL and PF, while leg quarters and wings yield were significantly lower compared to CHS. Gut barrier integrity was significantly altered in Post-CHS and AHS compared to CTL. mRNA abundances of tumor necrosis factor-α, C-C motif chemokine ligand-20, heat shock protein (HSP)-27, and HSP70 were significantly higher in Post-CHS and AHS compared to CTL. AHS had significantly higher mRNA abundances of CARD domain containing (NLRC)-3 and NLRC5 inflammasomes, and lower superoxide dismutase (SOD)-1 and SOD2 abundance compared with CTL. PF had significantly higher liver weight (% BW) compared to all other groups; while abdominal fat was significantly higher in Pre-CHS compared to CTL, PF, and AHS. Together, these data indicate that the negative effects of HS are partially due to reduced FI. However, the negative effect of HS on gut integrity, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, and meat yield are direct and independent of the reduced FI during the HS. Thus, warrant investigating the underlying mechanisms in future research.

scholarly journals Feeding dynamics and ecomorphology of Oligosarcus jenynsii (Gunther, 1864) and Oligosarcus robustus (Menezes, 1969) in the Lagoa Fortaleza, southern Brazil

2006 ◽  
Vol 66 (1a) ◽  
pp. 121-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Nunes ◽  
S. M. Hartz
Keyword(s):  
Condition Factor ◽  
Liver Weight ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Hepatosomatic Index ◽  
Gonad Maturation ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Feeding Intensity ◽  
Mean Values

Oligosarcus jenynsii and Oligosarcus robustus are fishes of Characidae family that occur in Rio Grande do Sul, Uruguay and northern Argentina. This work purported to study the feeding dynamics (repletion and hepatosomatic indexes and condition factor) over time, and to investigate the coexistence of these two species by evaluating the partition of resources using qualitative and quantitative analyses of diet, temporal and spatial segregation throughout the water column and some ecomorphological aspects of the species in the Lagoa Fortaleza. Specimens were sampled monthly, from May 2000 to April 2001 during 24 h/month, using stationary gill nets of different mesh sizes. The records of each individual included total and standard length; total, stomach and liver weight; sex and stomach repletion. The variation of the mean values of repletion index and relative frequencies of stomach repletion stages indicate that O. jenynsii and O. robustus do not present seasonal differences in feeding intensity. The hepatosomatic index shows an allocation of energy to the liver during every period except reproduction, when part of the energy is used for gonad maturation. The estimated condition factor for both species reveals an increase in the reproductive period, evidencing the influence of gonads upon the condition of the fish. The diet analysis revealed that O. robustus is piscivorous, whereas O. jenynsii is a generalist carnivore, tending to piscivory as well. The active period of O. robustus is more concentrated at sunrise and sunset, whereas O. jenynsii is continually active, a characteristic related to hunting for prey. The ecomorphological analysis revealed differences between the two species in the dimensions of the mouth. Evidence suggests that the species coexist, sharing food sources, differing in oral morphology but ingesting similar prey, possibly because food is not a limiting factor in the environment.

scholarly journals Blue reflectance in tarantulas is evolutionarily conserved despite nanostructural diversity

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (10) ◽  
pp. e1500709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bor-Kai Hsiung ◽  
Dimitri D. Deheyn ◽  
Matthew D. Shawkey ◽  
Todd A. Blackledge
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Phylogenetic Reconstruction ◽  
Blue Color ◽  
Structural Mechanism ◽  
Multilayer Nanostructures ◽  
Structural Colors ◽  
Color Differences ◽  
Structural Mechanisms ◽  
20 Nm ◽  
Blue Coloration

Slight shifts in arrangement within biological photonic nanostructures can produce large color differences, and sexual selection often leads to high color diversity in clades with structural colors. We use phylogenetic reconstruction, electron microscopy, spectrophotometry, and optical modeling to show an opposing pattern of nanostructural diversification accompanied by unusual conservation of blue color in tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). In contrast to other clades, blue coloration in phylogenetically distant tarantulas peaks within a narrow 20-nm region around 450 nm. Both quasi-ordered and multilayer nanostructures found in different tarantulas produce this blue color. Thus, even within monophyletic lineages, tarantulas have evolved strikingly similar blue coloration through divergent mechanisms. The poor color perception and lack of conspicuous display during courtship of tarantulas argue that these colors are not sexually selected. Therefore, our data contrast with sexual selection that typically produces a diverse array of colors with a single structural mechanism by showing that natural selection on structural color in tarantulas resulted in convergence on similar color through diverse structural mechanisms.

An annual cycle of vitellogenesis in the elasmobranch Scyliorhinus canicula

1978 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 719-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. A. Craik
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Lipid Content ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Total Lipid Content ◽  
Liver Weight ◽  
Hepatosomatic Index ◽  
Scyliorhinus Canicula ◽  
Vitellogenin Synthesis ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Plasma Oestradiol

Plasma vitellogenin synthesis in adult female Scyliorhinus canicula L. continued throughout the year but the rate of synthesis was significantly lower between March and August than during the rest of the year. The hepatosomatic index (liver weight as percentage of body weight) underwent annual variation in both sexes but this variation was considerably more pronounced in the female. Increase in hepatosomatic index in the female was accompanied by increase in the percentage of lipid in the liver and was largely caused by increase in the total lipid content of the liver. Comparison of livers of males and females showed that the percentage of lipid was not significantly different while the percentage of solids insoluble in water and organic solvents was greater in the female. Oviposition, as indicated by the percentage of females with eggs in the oviducts, continued throughout the year, reaching a minimum in September-October. Between July and October, parameters associated with vitellogenesis began recovery from their respective annual minima in the following order: plasma oestradiol level, hepatosomatic index, rate of synthesis of plasma vitellogenin, gonosomatic index, plasma vitellogenin level, rate of oviposition.

scholarly journals Decomposing health: tolerance and resistance to parasites in animals

2008 ◽  
Vol 364 (1513) ◽  
pp. 37-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Råberg ◽  
Andrea L Graham ◽  
Andrew F Read
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Parasite Burden ◽  
Environmental Variation ◽  
Host Defence ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Statistical Framework ◽  
Host Parasite

Plant biologists have long recognized that host defence against parasites and pathogens can be divided into two conceptually different components: the ability to limit parasite burden (resistance) and the ability to limit the harm caused by a given burden (tolerance). Together these two components determine how well a host is protected against the effects of parasitism. This distinction is useful because it recognizes that hosts that are best at controlling parasite burdens are not necessarily the healthiest. Moreover, resistance and tolerance can be expected to have different effects on the epidemiology of infectious diseases and host–parasite coevolution. However, studies of defence in animals have to date focused on resistance, whereas the possibility of tolerance and its implications have been largely overlooked. The aim of our review is to (i) describe the statistical framework for analysis of tolerance developed in plant science and how this can be applied to animals, (ii) review evidence of genetic and environmental variation for tolerance in animals, and studies indicating which mechanisms could contribute to this variation, and (iii) outline avenues for future research on this topic.

scholarly journals Effects of Anthocyanins on Vascular Health

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 811
Author(s):  
Ioana Mozos ◽  
Corina Flangea ◽  
Daliborca C. Vlad ◽  
Cristina Gug ◽  
Costin Mozos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arterial Stiffness ◽  
Endothelial Function ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Blue Color ◽  
Vascular Health ◽  
Preclinical Research

Cardiovascular disorders are leading mortality causes worldwide, often with a latent evolution. Vascular health depends on endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques. Preventive medicine deserves special attention, focusing on modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, including diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has well-known health benefits, especially due to its polyphenolic components. Anthocyanins, water-soluble flavonoid species, responsible for the red-blue color in plants and commonly found in berries, exert favorable effects on the endothelial function, oxidative stress, inhibit COX-1, and COX-2 enzymes, exert antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, antiglycation, antithrombotic, and anti-inflammatory activity, ameliorate dyslipidemia and arterial stiffness. The present review aims to give a current overview of the mechanisms involved in the vascular protective effect of anthocyanins from the human diet, considering epidemiological data, in vitro and in vivo preclinical research, clinical observational, retrospective, intervention and randomized studies, dietary and biomarker studies, and discussing preventive benefits of anthocyanins and future research directions.

scholarly journals 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) End-Group Functionalized Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL): Self-Assembly in Organic Solvents and Its Coincidentally Observed Peculiar Behavior in Thin Film and Protonated Media

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2720
Author(s):  
Anca-Dana Bendrea ◽  
Luminita Cianga ◽  
Gabriela-Liliana Ailiesei ◽  
Elena-Laura Ursu ◽  
Demet Göen Göen Colak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Blue Color ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Structural Details ◽  
End Group Functionalization ◽  
Lamellar Crystals ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
End Group

End-group functionalization of homopolymers is a valuable way to produce high-fidelity nanostructured and functional soft materials when the structures obtained have the capacity for self-assembly (SA) encoded in their structural details. Herein, an end-functionalized PCL with a π-conjugated EDOT moiety, (EDOT-PCL), designed exclusively from hydrophobic domains, as a functional “hydrophobic amphiphile”, was synthesized in the bulk ROP of ε-caprolactone. The experimental results obtained by spectroscopic methods, including NMR, UV-vis, and fluorescence, using DLS and by AFM, confirm that in solvents with extremely different polarities (chloroform and acetonitrile), EDOT-PCL presents an interaction- and structure-based bias, which is strong and selective enough to exert control over supramolecular packing, both in dispersions and in the film state. This leads to the diversity of SA structures, including spheroidal, straight, and helical rods, as well as orthorhombic single crystals, with solvent-dependent shapes and sizes, confirming that EDOT-PCL behaves as a “block-molecule”. According to the results from AFM imaging, an unexpected transformation of micelle-type nanostructures into single 2D lamellar crystals, through breakout crystallization, took place by simple acetonitrile evaporation during the formation of the film on the mica support at room temperature. Moreover, EDOT-PCL’s propensity for spontaneous oxidant-free oligomerization in acidic media was proposed as a presumptive answer for the unexpected appearance of blue color during its dissolution in CDCl3 at a high concentration. FT-IR, UV-vis, and fluorescence techniques were used to support this claim. Besides being intriguing and unforeseen, the experimental findings concerning EDOT-PCL have raised new and interesting questions that deserve to be addressed in future research.

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