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Infective third-stage larvae (L3) of the marine nematode Anisakis pegreffii cause inflammation and clinical symptoms in humans, their accidental host, that subside and self-resolve in a couple of weeks after L3 die. To characterise the differences in an early immune response of a marine vs. terrestrial host, we stimulated peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of fish (paratenic host) and rat (accidental, human-model host) with A. pegreffii crude extract and analysed PBL transcriptomes 1 and 12 h post-stimulation. Fish and rat PBLs differentially expressed 712 and 493 transcripts, respectively, between 1 and 12 h post-stimulation (false discovery rate, FDR <0.001, logFC >2). While there was a difference in the highest upregulated transcripts between two time-points, the same Gene Ontologies, biological processes (intracellular signal transduction, DNA-dependent transcription, and DNA-regulated regulation of transcription), and molecular functions (ATP and metal ion binding) were enriched in the two hosts, showing an incrementing dynamic between 1 and 12 h. This suggests that the two distinct hosts employ qualitatively different transcript cascades only to achieve the same effect, at least during an early innate immunity response. Activation of later immunity elements and/or a combination of other host’s intrinsic conditions may contribute to the death of L3 in the terrestrial host.

Heavy metals (HMs) can induce both chronic and acute harmful effects on marine and freshwater biota. The environmental impact of HMs in freshwater, seawater, soil, and wastewater can be limited using microbes, including microalgae, that are able to remove metals from environmental matrices. Indeed, they can passively adsorb and actively accumulate these persistent pollutants within their organelles, limiting their detrimental effects on cellular metabolism. The Sarno River is a 30 km long freshwater stream located in Southern Italy, polluted by partially untreated municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewaters. In spite of this, microalgal cultures from Sarno River or Sarno River Mouth have never been established. In the present study, we isolated a green algal strain from the Sarno River Mouth and determined its ability to grow in polluted seawater containing different concentrations of cadmium, lead, or zinc. This strain was found to be able to accumulate these elements within its biomass in a dose-dependent manner. Growth inhibition experiments confirm the relatively low toxicity of Cd and Pb below 50 µM, while algal growth was seriously affected in Zn-amended media. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focused on the ability of microalgae from Sarno River Mouth to tolerate and uptake HMs.

BackgroundIt has been reported for several years that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) could disturb human endocrine function. However, there is still a short of consistent conclusion about the relationship between PAH exposure and levels of sexual hormones. The aim of our study is to explore whether exposure to PAHs and how PAHs affect the levels of serum testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in adults, hoping to fulfill the knowledge gap.Materials and methodsThis study included adults aged 20 and above who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2016. We included 10 PAH metabolites in this study. The levels of urinary PAH metabolites were log-transformed and divided into quartiles. The associations between PAH metabolites and both serum T levels of males and E2 levels of females were investigated using multivariate regression models. We furtherly calculated PAHs scores by sum of ranks across 10 PAHs metabolites, which represented the exposure levels of PAHs mixtures, and the association between PAHs scores and serum T and E2 levels were analyzed.ResultsA total of 4,654 subjects were included in this study, including 2,460 males and 2,194 females. After adjusting for confounders, 2-hydroxynapthalene and 3-hydroxyfluorene were positively associated with serum T levels of males (p-value for trend=0.047, and p-value for trend=0.006, respectively), while 1-hydroxyphenanthrene was positively associated with serum E2 levels of females (p-value for trend=0.013). In the adjusted models, no significant association was found between PAHs scores and either T levels of males or E2 levels of females (p-value for trend=0.615, and p-value for trend=0.241, respectively).ConclusionsThis study showed urinary 2-hydroxynapthalene and 3-hydroxyfluorene were associated with increased T levels of males, and urinary 1-hydroxyphenanthrene was associated with increased E2 levels of females. The observed association indicated disrupting effects of PAH exposure on reproductive health.

Abstract Forest soils harbour a vast array of organisms that govern the processing of organic matter. Through their trophic interactions, they give rise to carbon flows that sustain soil ecosystem functioning. Understanding how soil food webs shape carbon flows may enhance our knowledge about the role of biodiversity on soil processes. In this work, we assembled trophic networks representing soil food webs of two beech forests during spring and autumn, and compiled mass‐balanced models quantifying carbon flows between their components. These models were investigated using network analysis to identify the role of the components on carbon flow, cycling and functional trophic relationships. Moreover, we explored how the structure of carbon exchanges promote efficiency and stability. Results indicate the importance of indirect interactions. Most trophic groups exhibit a diffuse dependency on all the compartments for their carbon requirement although certain groups such as Collembola play the role of hubs in distributing carbon. Indirect interactions often reverse the impacts of direct trophic relationships being antagonistic to the direction of change predicted based on predator–prey interactions. The high incidence of generalist feeding habits increases the redundancy of energy channels thereby making such food webs more resilient against perturbations but at the expense of carbon transfer efficiency. Although differences can be observed across sites and periods, food web structure rather than environmental variability seems to be the main factor responsible for patterns of carbon flows in the two beech forests. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease that activates multiple signaling pathways, causing cells to produce higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases (NOXs) are a major generator of ROS in leukemia, and marine natural products have shown promising activities for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the marine microalga Skeletonema marinoi (S.M.), a ubiquitous diatom that forms massive blooms in the oceans, on the human leukemia cell line K562. The effects of S.M. extract on cell viability, production of ROS, nitric oxide (NO), and apoptosis were examined. In this preliminary work, S.M. was able to decrease cell viability (p < 0.05) and increase apoptosis levels (p < 0.05) in K562 cells after 48 h of treatment. In addition, the levels of NOX, NO, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were reduced in K562-treated cells (p < 0.05), whereas the levels of SOD, CAT, and GPx increased during treatment (p < 0.05). Finally, analyzing Bax and Bcl-2 expression, we found a significant increase in the proapoptotic protein Bax and a sustained decrease in the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 (p < 0.05) in the K562-treated cells.

Cuttlefish are an important global fisheries resource, and their demand is placing increasing pressure on populations in many areas, necessitating conservation measures. We reviewed evidence from case studies spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia encompassing diverse intervention methods (fisheries closures, protected areas, habitat restoration, fishing-gear modifications, promoting egg survival, and restocking), and we also discuss the effects of pollution on cuttlefish. We conclude: (1) spatio-temporal closures need to encompass substantial portions of a species’ range and protect at least one major part of their life cycle; (2) fishing-gear modifications have the potential to reduce unwanted cuttlefish capture, but more comprehensive trials are needed; (3) egg survival can be improved by diverting and salvaging from traps; (4) existing lab rearing and restocking may not produce financially viable results; and (5) fisheries management policies should be regularly reviewed in light of rapid changes in cuttlefish stock status. Further, citizen science can provide data to reduce uncertainty in empirical assessments. The information synthesized in this review will guide managers and stakeholders to implement regulations and conservation initiatives that increase the productivity and sustainability of fisheries interacting with cuttlefish, and highlights gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed This work was supported by the Irish Research Council-Government of Ireland Post-doctoral Fellowship Award (Ref. GOIPD/2019/460) and a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación fellowship (code TBC) granted by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. JHU was supported by a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación fellowship (IJC2020-043701-I) granted by MCIN/AEI. GS and SKK are grantful to the Director, ICAR-CMFRI, India; KS and PR for the facilities and encouragement. Support to RV, FÁFÁ, OE, and JGR was provided by the Direcció General de Política Marítima i Pesca Sostenible, Catalan government; the research project MITICEPH (Ref. TED2021-130193B-I00) granted by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR; and by the Spanish government through the “Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence” accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S) 18 pages, 6 figures, 1 table.-- Data availability statement: No new data were generated or analysed in support of this research Peer reviewed

Accepted version of the paper "Non-Equilibrium Fractionation Factors for D/H and 18O/16O During Oceanic Evaporation in the North-West Atlantic Region". An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright (2022) American Geophysical Union. Zannoni, D., Steen‐Larsen, H. C., Peters, A. J., Wahl, S., Sodemann, H., & Sveinbjörnsdóttir, A. E. Non‐Equilibrium Fractionation Factors for D/H and 18O/16O During Oceanic Evaporation in the North‐West Atlantic Region. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, e2022JD037076. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD037076 In accordance with the the Dual Publication Policy of AGU. Abstract Ocean isotopic evaporation models, such as the Craig-Gordon model, rely on the description of non-equilibrium fractionation factors that are, in general, poorly constrained. To date, only a few gradient-diffusion type measurements have been performed in ocean settings to test the validity of the commonly used parametrization of non-equilibrium isotopic fractionation during ocean evaporation. In this work we present six months of water vapor isotopic observations collected from a meteorological tower located in the northwest Atlantic Ocean (Bermuda) with the objective of estimating non-equilibrium fractionation factors (k, ‰) for ocean evaporation and their wind speed dependency. The Keeling plot method and Craig-Gordon model combination was sensitive enough to resolve non-equilibrium fractionation factors during evaporation resulting into mean values of k18= 5.2±0.6 ‰ and k2= 4.3±3.4 ‰. Furthermore, we evaluate the relationship between k and 10-m wind speed over the ocean. Such a relationship is expected from current evaporation theory and from laboratory experiments made in the 1970s, but observational evidence is lacking. We show that (i) in the observed wind speed range [0 – 10 m s-1] the sensitivity of k to wind speed is small, in the order of -0.2 ‰ m-1s for k18, and (ii) there is no empirical evidence for the presence of a discontinuity between smooth and rough wind speed regime during isotopic fractionation, as proposed in earlier studies. The water vapor d-excess variability predicted under the closure assumption using the k values estimated in this study is in agreement with observations over the Atlantic Ocean. Acknowledgments The work was supported by the Danish Council for Independent Research – Natural Sciences grant number 10-092850 and the Carlsberg Foundation, and the AXA Research Fund. The Tudor Hill Marine Atmospheric Observatory in Bermuda was supported by NSF award OCE1829686. We acknowledge an infrastructure grant (nr. 10/0244) from the Icelandic Research Council (Rannis), that partly covered the cost of the Picarro facilities in Bermuda. HCSL and DZ acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 821868. H.S. acknowledges support by the Norwegian Research Council (Project SNOWPACE, grant no. 262710) and by the European Research Council (Consolidator Grant ISLAS, project no. 773245). SW acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program: Starting Grant-SNOWISO (grant agreement 759526).

Marine litter is a problem impacting the coasts and seas of the whole world. Whilst an increasing number of studies investigate the effects of marine litter on public welfare, most of the research to date considers it as a component of coastal environmental quality. This study specifically examines the preferences and willingness to pay of English and Irish respondents towards the removal and prevention of marine litter, and the trade-off between different short-term (e.g., beach clean-up) and long-term (e.g., ban on single use plastic) policy actions. An online survey, including a choice experiment and behavioural questions, was used to quantify the welfare impacts of marine litter on the provision of recreation and cultural ecosystem services. We found that respondents are generally inclined to the implementation of a policy mix, with propensity for immediate action. Our results confirm the loss of societal benefits due to the presence of marine litter on beaches. The estimated marginal willingness to pay can be used to inform the design and assess costs and benefits of new local, national or supra-national mixed policies directed at reducing litter in the coastal and marine environment.