Background: It is known that nerve signals arising from sites of inflammation lead to persistent changes in the spinal cord and contribute to the amplification and persistence of pain. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been completely elucidated. We identified differentially expressed genes in the lumbar (L4-L6) segment of the spinal cord from complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) rats compared to control animals via high throughput sequencing. Based on differential gene expression analysis, we selected interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) for follow-up experiments to explore its antinociceptive potential. Methods: An animal model of inflammatory pain was induced by intraplantar injection of CFA. We evaluated the effects of adeno-associated viral (AAV)-mediated overexpression of IRF7 in the spinal cord on pain-related behavior after CFA injection. Moreover, the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and the expression of inflammatory cytokines were investigated to understand the underlying mechanisms related to the contribution of IRF7 to inflammatory pain. Results: CFA intraplantar injection caused a significant decrease in the level of spinal IRF7, which is mainly expressed in the dorsal horn neurons and astrocytes. Moreover, IRF7 overexpression significantly attenuated pain-related behaviors, as well as the activity of NF-kappa B/p65 and the production of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the spinal cord of CFA rats. Conclusions: Our data indicated that spinal IRF7 plays an important role in the regulation of inflammatory pain. Thus, IRF7 overexpression at the spinal cord level might represent a potential target for the treatment of inflammatory pain.
Fishery management in Brazil has many challenges, including the engagement of fishers, building institutional (NGO, university, etc.) relationships to carry out research and provide key data for managers, and strengthening the capacity to articulate effective management strategies (policy institution). Here we report on recent work to address some of these challenges for the Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) fishery in the Parnaiba Delta Protected Area. These include meetings to create inter-sector communication, citizen science and ethnobiology to support data collection and biological sampling, satellite tagging to discern tarpon movements, and the first data-limited stock assessment. The research occurred between September 2018 and April 2020 in the Parnaíba Delta and adjacent marine area, specifically in the Canárias Islands (MA), Pedra do Sal (PI), and Bitupitá (CE). Gonadosomatic indices (GSI > 5
Exploitation impacts and management options for 15 coral reef fish species central to the commercial and recreational fisheries of the southern Florida USA coral reef ecosystem were evaluated using a length-based risk analysis (LBRA) framework. Population abundance-at-length composition data were obtained from several regional federal-state sampling programs. These and updated life history demographic data were integrated into a length-based numerical cohort model to generate LBRA fishery sustainability metrics from a probabilistic perspective. Three of five groupers, eight of eight snappers, and two of two grunts were below the 40% spawning potential ratio (SPR) stock sustainability minimum; ten of these stocks are at < 20% of their historical spawning biomass, some as low as 5%. Therefore, to ameliorate overfishing for the 13 stocks with sustainability risks & nbsp;>=& nbsp;98%, fisheries management requires increased minimum sizes of first capture (L-c) and significant reductions in fishing mortality (F). To achieve sustainability and reduce sustainability risks area-time protections are also needed. While lack of data often limits the evaluation of management options, this paper establishes benchmarks from which data-limited approaches can move forward. In addition, the approach can be used to cross-check other data-rich analyses. A goal of this work is to effectively balance sustainability risks with fishery production to mitigate overfishing likelihoods and to increase the probability of sustainable fisheries.
Accumulating evidence indicates that the continuous and intense nociceptive from inflamed tissue may increase the excitability of spinal dorsal horn neurons, which can signal back and modulate peripheral inflammation. Previous studies have demonstrated that spinal interleukin (IL)-33 contributes to the hyperexcitability of spinal dorsal horn neurons. This study was undertaken to investigate whether spinal IL-33 can also influence a peripheral inflammatory response in a rat model of arthritis. Lentivirus-delivered short hairpin RNA targeting IL-33 (LV-shIL-33) was constructed for gene silencing. Rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) were injected intrathecally with LV-shIL-33 3 days before the complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) injection. During an observation period of 21 days, pain-related behavior and inflammation were assessed. In addition, the expression of spinal proinflammatory cytokines and the activation of spinal extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathways were evaluated on 9 days after CFA treatment. The existence of tissue injury or inflammation in rats with AIA resulted in the upregulation of spinal IL-33, which is predominantly expressed in neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Intrathecal administration of LV-shIL-33 significantly alleviated hyperalgesia, paw swelling, and joint destruction, and attenuated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines [IL-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)], as well as the activation of ERK and NF-κB/p65 in the spinal cord. Our data suggest that spinal IL-33 contributes to the development of both peripheral inflammation and hyperalgesia. Thus, interference with IL-33 at the spinal level might represent a novel therapeutic target for painful inflammatory disorders.
Objective:To explore the effect of spinal interleutkin-33 (IL-33) on radicular pain in rats modeling non-compressive lumbar disc herniation.Methods:A total of 80 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group, a lentivirus negative control group, a low-dose IL-33 recombinant lentivirus group and a high-dose IL-33 group, each of 16. Non-compressive lumbar disc herniation was successfully induced in all except the rats in the sham operation group. Two days later, the model group was injected intrathecally with 10μl of enhanced infection solution. The lentivirus control group received 10μl of negative lentivirus, the low-dose IL-33 recombinant lentivirus group received 5μl of IL-33 recombinant lentivirus and the high-dose IL-33 recombinant lentivirus group received 10μl of IL-33 recombinant lentivirus. The 50% paw withdrawal threshold (50% PWT) was measured one day before the modeling and on the 1 st, 3 rd, 5 th, 7 th, 9 th, 11 th, 13 th, 15 th, 17 th, 19 th, and 21 st day afterward. On the 12 th day the expressions of IL-33 protein and mRNA were evaluated. Results:The average expression of IL-33 protein and mRNA in the model and the lentivirus negative control group increased significantly after the modelling compared with the sham group, while expression in the low- and high-dose IL-33 recombinant lentivirus groups was significantly lower than in the lentivirus negative control group. Compared with one day before the modelling, average 50% PWTs on the affected side decreased significantly in all of the modelling groups. From the 9 th to the 21 st day significantly increased 50% PWTs were observed on the affected side in the low-dose and high-dose IL-33 recombinant lentivirus groups compared with the other two modelling groups. Immunostaining showed significant increase in the expression of IL-33 in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in the model group, compared with the sham operation group. Significant decrease in the average expression of IL-33 in the spinal dorsal horns was observed in the low-dose and high-dose IL-33 recombinant lentivirus groups. Conclusions:Intervertebral disk herniation may increase the expression of IL-33 in the spinal cord, and may cause radicular pain.
Background Atlantic tarpon ( Megalops atlanticus ) are highly migratory species ranging along continental and insular coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean. Despite broad geographic distribution and importance as recreational fisheries, little is known about space-use patterns of tarpon within the Eastern Caribbean. Acoustic telemetry was used to track tarpon (n=14, 61- 95cm-FL) from September 2015 to February 2018 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands to understand horizontal and vertical movements during diel, crepuscular and seasonal periods and under different environmental conditions. Results Eight tarpon were transient while four had >80% residency and average activity space of 0.76 km 2 (range = 0.075-1.174 km 2 ) within a small (~1.8km 2 ) bay. Tarpon occurred in <18 m depth with occasional movements to deeper water, including during hurricanes. Activity was greater during day compared to night, with peaks during crepuscular periods. During the day tarpon primarily utilized the waters along the St. Thomas airport and at night tarpon typically remained in a small shallow lagoon. However, when temperatures in the lagoon exceeded 30 °C, tarpon moved to cooler, deeper waters outside the lagoon. Conclusion This study showed distinct and mostly non-overlapping home ranges except when seasonally abundant food sources were present and provided a unique perspective on the effects of extreme environmental conditions on tarpon movement and habitat use. These metrics are useful for management of tarpon, particularly under changing climatic conditions.
Astrocytes have a crucial role in the modulation of the neuroinflammatory response. However, the underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully defined. Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is constitutively expressed in astrocytes, which has been found to orchestrate inflammatory responses in a large variety of immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases of the nervous system. Thus, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the potential effect of IL-33 in the regulation of inflammatory response in primary cultured astrocytes. We investigated the role of IL-33 in the regulation of inflammatory responses in the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated astrocytes. This study utilized lentiviral short hairpin RNA vectors to target IL-33 (LV-shIL-33) for gene silencing. After lipopolysaccharide stimulation, the expression levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as well as the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways, were evaluated to elucidate the mechanisms related to the contributions of IL-33 to the inflammatory response in astrocytes. We found that the expression IL-33 has increased in rat primary cultured astrocytes after lipopolysaccharide stimulation. Administration of LV-shIL-33 knocked down the expression of IL-33 and markedly reduced the overexpression of spinal IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and attenuated the activation of ERK and NF-κB/p65. This study shows that IL-33 participates in regulating inflammatory responses in primary cultured astrocytes, which might provide additional targets for controlling inflammatory responses following neurological diseases. See Video abstract, http://links.lww.com/WNR/A627.
In-water behaviour and long-term movements of oceanic-stage juvenile sea turtles are not well described or quantified. This is owing to technological or logistical limitations of tracking small, fast-growing animals across long distances and time periods within marine habitats. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first long-term offshore tracks of oceanic green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) in western North Atlantic waters. Using a tag attachment technique developed specifically for young (less than 1 year old) green turtles, we satellite-tracked 21 oceanic-stage green turtles (less than 19 cm straight carapace length) up to 152 days using small, solar-powered transmitters. We verify that oceanic-stage green turtles: (i) travel to and remain within oceanic waters; (ii) often depart the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre currents, orienting towards waters associated with the Sargasso Sea; (iii) remain at the sea surface, using thermally beneficial habitats that promote growth and survival of young turtles; and (iv) green turtles orient differently compared to same stage loggerhead turtles ( Caretta caretta ). Combined with satellite tracks of oceanic-stage loggerhead turtles, our work identifies the Sargasso Sea as an important nursery habitat for North Atlantic sea turtles, supporting a growing body of research that suggests oceanic-stage sea turtles are behaviourally more complex than previously assumed.
Understanding large-scale migratory behaviours, local movement patterns and population connectivity are critical to determining the natural processes and anthropogenic stressors that influence population dynamics and for developing effective conservation plans. Atlantic tarpon occur over a broad geographic range in the Atlantic Ocean where they support valuable subsistence, commercial and recreational fisheries. From 2001 through 2018, we deployed 292 satellite telemetry tags on Atlantic tarpon in coastal waters off three continents to document: (a) seasonal migrations and regional population connectivity; (b) freshwater and estuarine habitat utilization; (c) spawning locations; and (d) shark predation across the south-eastern United States, Gulf of Mexico and northern Caribbean Sea. These results showed that some mature tarpon make long seasonal migrations over thousands of kilometres crossing state and national jurisdictional borders. Others showed more local movements and habitat use. The tag data also revealed potential spawning locations consistent with those inferred in other studies from observations of early life stage tarpon leptocephalus larvae. Our analyses indicated that shark predation mortality on released tarpon is higher than previously estimated, especially at ocean passes, river mouths and inlets to bays. To date, there has been no formal stock assessment of Atlantic tarpon, and regional fishery management plans do not exist. Our findings will provide critical input to these important efforts and assist the multinational community in the development of a stock-wide management information system to support informed decision-making for sustaining Atlantic tarpon fisheries.
This study extended a data-limited length-based stock assessment approach to a risk analysis context. The estimation-simulation method used length frequencies as the principal data in lieu of catch and effort. Key developments were to: (i) incorporate probabilistic mortality and growth dynamics into a numerical cohort model; (ii) employ a precautionary approach for setting sustainability reference points for fishing mortality (FREF) and stock reproductive biomass (BREF); (iii) define sustainability risks in terms of probability distributions; and, (iv) evaluate exploitation status in terms of expected length frequencies, the main observable population metric. This refined length-based approach was applied to six principal exploited reef fish species in the Florida Keys region, consisting of three groupers (black grouper, red grouper, and coney), two snappers (mutton snapper and yellowtail snapper), and one wrasse (hogfish). The estimated sustainability risks for coney were low (<35%) in terms of benchmarks for fishing mortality rate and stock reproductive biomass. The other five species had estimated sustainability risks of greater than 95% for both benchmarks. The data-limited risk analysis methodology allowed for a fairly comprehensive probabilistic evaluation of sustainability status from species and community perspectives, and also a frame of reference for exploring management options balancing sustainability risks and fishery production.
Immune and inflammatory responses occurring in the spinal cord play a pivotal role in the progression of radicular pain caused by intervertebral disk herniation. Interleukin-33 (IL-33) orchestrates inflammatory responses in a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders of the nervous system. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of IL-33 and its receptor ST2 in the dorsal spinal cord and to elucidate whether the inhibition of spinal IL-33 expression significantly attenuates pain-related behaviors in rat models of noncompressive lumbar disc herniation.
Interleukin-33 (IL-33),a novel member of IL-1 family,is a multifunctional cytokine.IL-33 can act as a transcriptional repressor.It can also bind to growth stimulation expressed gene 2 protein (ST2) to induce the activation of some inflammatory cells.IL-33 is extensively expressed in nervous system.Some studies showed that the levels of IL-33 and ST2 were significantly changed in pain.Some reports demonstrated that the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway played critical roles in them.This present article will review the biological characteristics of IL-33/ST2 and their expressions in nervous system and significance of interventional pain related diseases.
Study aim and locationMany populations of highly mobile marine fishes, including large sharks, are experiencing declines. The benefits of spatial management zones, such as marine protected areas (MPAs), for such animals are unclear. To help fill this knowledge gap, we examined core habitat use areas (CHUAs) for bull (Carcharhinus leucas), great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) in relation to specific MPAs and exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in the western North Atlantic Ocean.MethodsBull, great hammerhead and tiger sharks (N=86 total) were satellite tagged and tracked in southern Florida and the northern Bahamas between 2010 and 2013. Filtered and regularized positions from Argos locations of tag transmissions were used to generate CHUAs for these sharks. Overlaps of CHUAs with regional protected areas and exclusive economic management zones were quantified to determine the proportion of each tracked shark's CHUA under spatial protection from exploitation.ResultsA total of 0%, 17.9% and 34.7% of the regional CHUAs for tracked bull, great hammerhead and tiger sharks, respectively, were fully protected from exploitation in the study area.Main conclusionsExpansion of protected areas to include U.S. territorial waters would effectively protect 100% of the CHUAs for all tracked sharks in the study area. This finding is particularly significant for great hammerhead sharks, which are currently overfished, vulnerable to bycatch mortality and are the focus of strident regional conservation efforts. These findings also provide a means to inform decision makers and marine conservation planning efforts as to the types of management actions available and potential efficacy of spatial protections for these marine predators.
Pop-up satellite archival tags were deployed on 40 white marlin Kajika albida (synonym: Tetrapturus albidus) off the coasts of Maryland and North Carolina (United States), and the island nation of Aruba in the Caribbean. Useful data were available for analysing vertical and horizontal habitat use from 28 individuals. Time at liberty ranged from 10 to 181 d (mean 115, SD 53.3). Seasonal southerly fall migration routes were documented for fish released off the northeastern United States, while those released off Aruba remained in the Caribbean basin. Horizontal movements ranged from 228 to 8084 km (19-100 km d(-1)) based on light-level geolocation estimates using a sea surface temperature and bathymetry-corrected Kalman filter. Analyses included an evaluation of vertical movements using Delta T, the time spent at temperature relative to the uniform temperature surface layer. Movements included exploration of depths as great as 387 m and ambient temperatures as low as 7.8 degrees C. However, the greatest proportion of time was spent in the upper 20 m of the water column for both day (50.8%) and night (81.6%), and time spent in water colder than 7 degrees C below the uniform temperature surface layer was negligible. Overall, this group showed less variability in vertical movement, and less tolerance to colder temperatures compared with similar studies for blue marlin Makaira nigricans and sailfish Istiophorus platypterus. Values for Delta T are presented in tabular format to allow direct input into habitat standardization models used to estimate vertical distribution and population abundance. The large spatial dispersion and disparate tracks illustrated in the present study serve to underscore the complexity of white marlin behaviour and habitat use, and further emphasize the many challenges facing the management and conservation of this overexploited species.
目的:观察外周神经慢性压榨性损伤(chronic constrictive injury,CCI)大鼠脊髓白介素-33(interleukin-33,IL-33)表达的变化规律.方法:雄性Wistar大鼠60只,分为手术组和假手术组,每组30只,于CCI前1天、CCI后第1、4、7、14、21天各时间点测定机械痛阈及热痛阈后立即处死大鼠,每个时间点5只,取L4-6脊髓,采用Western blot方法测定IL-33的蛋白表达变化.结果:手术组大鼠术侧机械痛阈及热痛阈明显降低,脊髓IL-33水平表达增加,明显高于对侧和假手术组术侧;IL-33蛋白水平于CCI后第1天开始增加,第7天达到高峰(P<0.01),于CCI后第21天仍维持于较高水平(P<0.05).结论:CCI致大鼠脊髓IL-33活化,参与神经病理性疼痛的调控过程.
For centuries, the mechanisms surrounding spatially complex animal migrations have intrigued scientists and the public. We present a new methodology using ocean heat content (OHC), a habitat metric that is normally a fundamental part of hurricane intensity forecasting, to estimate movements and migration of satellite-tagged marine fishes. Previous satellite-tagging research of fishes using archival depth, temperature and light data for geolocations have been too coarse to resolve detailed ocean habitat utilization. We combined tag data with OHC estimated from ocean circulation and transport models in an optimization framework that substantially improved geolocation accuracy over SST-based tracks. The OHC-based movement track provided the first quantitative evidence that many of the tagged highly migratory fishes displayed affinities for ocean fronts and eddies. The OHC method provides a new quantitative tool for studying dynamic use of ocean habitats, migration processes and responses to environmental changes by fishes, and further, improves ocean animal tracking and extends satellite-based animal tracking data for other potential physical, ecological, and fisheries applications.
Large aggregations of adult permit (Trachinotus falcatus) were consistently observed since 2004 by divers in a collaborative fishery-independent reef fish visual census survey during May and June on the western-most edge of the Dry Tortugas Bank, Florida, in coral reef habitat, indicating proximal spawning sites. We investigated the possible fate and connectivity of larvae spawned at this location in the Dry Tortugas and two other published aggregation sites through a drift analysis using the ocean circulation and transport dynamics simulator HYCOM (Hybrid Community Ocean Model). New age-length data facilitated the determination of larval durations and rates of juvenile growth. Modeled larval transport data from spawning sites in the Dry Tortugas, Belize and Cuba were evaluated and compared to a spatially-extensive empirical juvenile permit data set from Florida. Our study revealed that unique oceanographic processes provided pathways for both downstream larval transport and juvenile retention, to and from Florida waters. These simulation results indicated that the Dry Tortugas region is a key source of permit recruits to southeast Florida stretching from the Florida Keys and up Florida’s east coast, and to a much lesser extent the west Florida shelf. Simulations from Belize and Cuba spawning sites revealed high local retention with low connectivity to Florida, emphasizing the importance of local resource management throughout the permit’s range.
Objective To investigate the effect of lipoxin A4 LXA4) on radicular pain caused by intervertebral disc herniation.Methods Non-compressive intervertebral disc herniation was induced into forty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats,and they were divided into a sham group (sham operation + 10 μl normal saline),a control group (modeled + 10 μl normal saline),an LXA4 10 ng group (modeled + 10 ng LXA4) and an LXA4 100 ng group (modeled + 100 ng LXA4),with 12 rats in each group.The normal saline (10 μl) or LXA4 (10 μl) was administered intrathecally right after the operation and on each of the three succeeding days.General behavior was observed and the 50% paw withdrawal threshold (50% PWT) was measured.On postoperative day 7 all the rats were killed and the ipsilateral lumbar (L4~) segments of their spinal dorsal horns were removed for determination of the expression of p-JNK,t-JNK,p-ERK and t-ERK proteins using western blotting.TNF-α,IL-1β and TGF-β1 expression were determined using ELISA.Results There was no significant difference in the 50%PWT of the sham group before and after surgery,but the 50% PWTs of the control group and the LXA4 10 ng group were significantly decreased after the operation compared with their values beforehand and significantly lower than the value of the sham group at all time points.Moreover,the 50% PWT of the LXA4 10 ng group on postoperative days 3 and 5 was significantly higher than the control group;as was the value of the LXA4 100 ng group on postoperative days 2,3,4,5,6 and 7.The p-JNK and p-ERK expression in the control group,the LXA4 10 ng group and the LXA4 100 ng group were all increased significantly more than in the sham group,but their expression in the LXA4 10 ng group and LXA4 100 ng group were decreased significantly more in a dose-dependent manner compared with the control group,with the LXA4 100 ng group showing the greatest decrease.There were no significant differences in t-JNK or t-ERK expression within each group.Conclusion LXA4 can alleviate radicular pain caused by non-compressive lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.The underlying mechanism involves inhibiting the activation of the ERK and JNK pathways,reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines.
Biscayne Bay, a marine lagoon along the southeast Florida coast, has been affected by altered freshwater input due to water management construction features and operations. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan aims to improve the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of freshwater flow through central Florida to the southern coasts and to restore nearshore estuarine conditions in Biscayne Bay. The Biscayne Bay Simulation Model (BBSM) is used to evaluate the effects of proposed changes to freshwater flow on salinity in the bay. However, a recent version of the model has left out the groundwater component due to uncertainty in its quantity, a critical shortcoming considering the porous substrate connecting the bay to inland freshwater sources and historic evidence of fresh groundwater discharge. As a result, the BBSM had been unable to reproduce mean salinity and salinity variability along the shoreline. In the present effort, salinity data from an expanded set of monitoring stations were used to estimate the quantity of the fresh groundwater discharge component. Adjustments in friction in the shallow nearshore regions were also made to increase salinity variability to mimic natural conditions. The result, referred to as BBSM version 4, has improved salinity behavior in the critical nearshore region while maintaining previous salinity performance mid-bay. A substantial coastal freshwater component was required to simulate nearshore salinity during portions of the year. This is an interesting finding that suggests groundwater and other freshwater sources along the coast, including convection driven precipitation events, may have been underestimated and require further investigation.