Distribution of crabs along a habitat gradient on the Yellow Sea coast after Spartina alterniflora invasion

The effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion on macrobenthos have long been of concern; however, there is currently no unified conclusion regarding these effects. Most studies on crabs focus on one species or limited habitat types, and assessments of the community-level effects of S. alterniflora invasion considering multiple species and habitat types have rarely been conducted. In this study, we sampled crabs along a habitat gradient from the shoreline to inland areas on the Yellow Sea coast, including the mudflat, S. alterniflora marsh, Suaeda salsa marsh and Phragmites australis marsh. A total of 10 crab species were found among all habitats, with five species in the mudflat, six species in S. alterniflora marsh, seven species in S. salsa marsh and four species in P. australis marsh. The Shannon index values for the crab communities were similar between S. alterniflora marsh and S. salsa marsh, and these values were significantly higher than those for the mudflat and P. australis marsh. However, the total biomass of crabs was highest in the mudflat, and Metaplax longipes, Philyra pisum and Macrophthalmus dilatatus exclusively preferred the mudflat. The analysis of principal components and similarities showed that the crab community structure in S. alterniflora marsh was most similar to that in S. salsa marsh, while the crab community structure in the mudflat was most different from that in the other habitat types. Our results demonstrate that the distribution of crabs varies across a habitat gradient after S. alterniflora invasion and that the crab community in S. alterniflora marsh is slightly different from that associated with the local vegetation but shows a large difference from that in the mudflat. This study indicates that some crab species may have adapted to habitat containing alien S. alterniflora, while other crab species reject this new marsh type. The effects of the distribution of crabs after S. alterniflora invasion on the regional ecosystem need further study in the future.

Atrotorquata lineata as a proxy for Juncus roemerianus, Part I: Atrotorquata lineata as a proxy for Juncus roemerianus in surface sediments from high-level salt marshes in the southeastern United States

Juncus roemerianus is a plant that occurs at the upper reaches of salt water influence in marshes from Delaware to Texas. In 2006 a palynomorphic fingerprint to identify surface sediment from J. roemerianus marshes was discovered in a South Carolina study (Marsh 2006, Marsh & Cohen 2008). This fingerprint had four components: (1) high palynomorphic abundance, (2) high palynomorphic diversity, (3) high concentration of Fungal Type A (greater than 10% of the palynomorphs in a given sample) and (4) the presence of the spores of the fungus Atrotorquata lineata, which occurred in the sediments of J. roemerianus marshes but not in the sediments collected from any other marsh type, even in sediments collected less than a meter away from J. roemerianus. The present study was designed to determine whether (1) Atrotorquata lineata occurs in all present-day Juncus roemerianus marshes regardless of geographic location within the range of the plant, and whether (2) A. lineata is ubiquitous in all surface sediments beneath J. roemerianus regardless of the location of the sample in the marsh. As a result of these two findings, A. lineata can be considered a proxy for the presence of J. roemerianus throughout its range. To test the first hypothesis, 93 surface samples were obtained from Juncus roemerianus marshes throughout the range of the plant (Delaware to Texas). Atrotorquata lineata was found in all samples from this range except for those from the northeasternmost end of the range (Virginia and Delaware). A new hypothesis is proposed that temperature may be the factor that explains the loss of the fungal proxy at this northeastern boundary. Furthermore, evidence is presented that geomorphologic and sedimentological factors, such as type of substrate, distance from the ocean, position relative to the shoreline, distance from tidal streams, amount of urbanization, tidal range, or wave fetch, were found to have no impact on the presence or absence of A. lineata. To test the second hypothesis, concerning whether Atrotorquata lineata was present in all parts of a Juncus stand, surface sediments from a 183 m transect across a monospecific Juncus roemerianus marsh were sampled at 15 m intervals. A. lineata was found in all samples regardless of position in the stand. The results of this study show that Atrotorquata lineata is omnipresent in sediment from Juncus roemerianus marshes throughout all but the most northern edge of the range of J. roemerianus and that it was present across the entire extent of a stand of Juncus roemerianus. Therefore, A. lineata by itself can in fact be considered a proxy for J. roemerianus.

THE PREVALENCE OF CELIAC DISEASE AMONG PATIENTS WITH FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER

Background Familial Mediterranean Fever and celiac disease are both related to auto-inflammation and/or auto-immunity and they share some common clinical features such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating and flatulence. Objectives We aimed to determine the association of these two diseases, if present. Methods Totally 112 patients diagnosed with Familial Mediterranean Fever and 32 cases as healthy control were included in the study. All participants were examined for the evidence of celiac disease, with serum tissue transglutaminase IgA levels (tTG IgA). Results Totally 144 cases, 112 with Familial Mediterranean Fever and 32 healthy control cases were included in the study. tTG IgA positivity was determined in three cases with Familial Mediterranean Fever and in one case in control group. In that aspect there was no significant difference regarding the tTG IgA positivity between groups (P=0.81). Duodenum biopsy was performed to the tTG IgA positive cases and revealed Marsh Type 3b in two Familial Mediterranean Fever cases and Marsh Type 3c in the other one while the biopsy results were of the only tTG IgA positive case in control group was Marsh Type 3b. In HLA evaluation of the celiac cases; HLA DQ2 was present in two celiac cases of the Familial Mediterranean Fever group and in the only celiac case of the control group while HLA DQ8 was present in one celiac case of the Familial Mediterranean Fever group. Conclusions We did not determine an association of Familial Mediterranean Fever with celiac disease. Larger studies with subgroup analysis are warranted to determine the relationship of these two diseases.

CELIAC DISEASE

Objective: To find out the Modified Marsh type of celiac disease (CD)patients on histopathological examination of duodenal (D2) biopsies and to correlate it withtissue transglutaminase IgA levels. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place of Study:Histopathology laboratory (Department of Pathology), Isra University Hospital and AsianInstitute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Hyderabad. Duration of Study: July 2013 to December2013. Materials and Methods: 96 patients with a history of malabsorption or atypical symptomswith clinical suspicion of CD were subjected to endoscopy. Endoscopic duodenal (D2) biopsieswere taken regardless of age and gender. D2 biopsies were processed for histopathologicalexamination under light microscopy. Results: Out of 96 patients, 45 (46.9%) patients hadmoderate type of lamina propria inflammation along with highly significant p-value (0.0001).CDtype 3a was observed in 34 patients (35.4%). In this study the comparison of serological level oftissue Transglutaminase IgA (tTGA) and histological severity revealed significant correlation. AllModified Marsh types of CD with tTGA level seen in our study were highly significant (p-value0.001). Conclusion: In this study strong correlation was observed between the serologicaltTGA level and histological findings by Modified Marsh classification along with lamina propriainflammation of duodenal mucosa in CD patients.

Characteristics of Ponds Used by Breeding Mottled Ducks on the Chenier Plain of the Texas Gulf Coast

Mottled ducks Anas fulvigula are nonmigratory and primarily depend on habitats associated with coastal marshes of the Gulf Coast for their entire life cycle. Much of remaining available coastal marsh habitats of the Texas Gulf Coast are managed by state and federal agencies. The Texas Gulf Coast breeding population of mottled ducks has recently declined dramatically. To aid in development of management plans for breeding mottled ducks, we estimated the number of potential pair ponds available on the Texas Chenier Plain National Wildlife Refuge Complex relative to marsh type (fresh, intermediate, brackish, and saline), estimated occupancy, compared habitats of used and unused pair ponds, and evaluated pair pond selection relative to marsh type during spring 2004 and 2005. Greater than 18,000 ponds were recorded in >22,400 ha of coastal marsh with >74% of potential pair ponds in the intermediate marsh type. Average pond size of 425 randomly selected ponds across marsh types was 0.09 ha. Pond occupancy was estimated as 1.3% and 2.5% in 2004 and 2005, respectively, in 634 ponds surveyed for presence of mottled duck pairs. Mottled ducks selected for ponds in fresh marsh with short surrounding vegetation associated with recent cattle grazing, but avoided recently (<3 mo prior) burned areas. Pond area was greater with shallower water depth for used compared to unused ponds. The presence and coverage of submergent and emergent vegetation did not influence use of pair ponds by mottled ducks. Development of breeding habitat (pair ponds, nesting cover, brood habitat) in fresh marsh will benefit mottled ducks. Our results indicate development of breeding habitat on the Texas Gulf Coast, and vegetation management using cattle grazing timed for disturbance in fresh marsh during mid- to late winter and early spring will further attract breeding mottled ducks.

Antibodies against Synthetic Deamidated Gliadin Peptides as Predictors of Celiac Disease: Prospective Assessment in an Adult Population with a High Pretest Probability of Disease

Background: Noninvasive serologic tests have shown high diagnostic accuracy for celiac disease (CD) in selected populations. Our aim was to determine prospectively the performance of CD-related serology in individuals undergoing intestinal biopsy because of clinical suspicion of small-bowel disorders. Methods: We enrolled 141 unselected consecutive adult patients attending a small-bowel disease clinic. Patients underwent endoscopy and biopsy; serum samples were obtained at that time for measurements of anti–tissue transglutaminase (a-tTG), IgA and IgG anti–deamidated gliadin-related peptide (a-DGP), and IgA antiactin antibodies (AAAs). Characterization of patients was based on histological criteria (Marsh type II lesion or greater). Results: The prevalence of CD was 42.5%. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were >90% for most assays. Diagnostic accuracy based on ROC curve analysis was similar for all assays [area under the curve (95% CI): 0.996 (0.967–0.998) for a-tTG, 0.995 (0.964–0.998) for IgA a-DGP, 0.989 (0.954–0.999) for IgG a-DGP, 0.996 (0.966–0.998) for blended conjugated of IgA + IgG a-DGP in a single assay, and 0.967 (0.922–0.990) for AAA]. The combinations of 2 tests, IgG a-DGP plus IgA a-tTG or the single blended conjugate detecting IgA + IgG a-DGP plus IgA a-tTG had 100% positive and negative predictive values if concentrations of both tests in either combination were above or below the cutoff. Conclusions: In a population with high pretest probability, the newly developed a-DGP tests have diagnostic accuracy that is at least equivalent to that of established assays.