Most patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and t(8;21) or inv(16) have a good prognosis with current anthracycline-and cytarabine-based protocols. Tandem analysis with flow cytometry (FC) and real-time RT-PCR (RQ-PCR) was applied to 55 patients, 28 harboring a t(8;21) and 27 an inv(16), including one case with a novel CBFbeta/MYH11 transcript. A total of 31% (n ¼ 17) of CR patients relapsed: seven with t(8;21) and 10 with inv(16). The mean amount of minimal residual disease (MRD) detected by FC in relapsed and nonrelapsed patients was markedly different: 0.3 vs 0.08% (P ¼ 0.002) at the end of treatment. The mean number of fusion transcript copies/ ABLx10 4 also differed between relapsed and non-relapsed patients: 2385 vs 122 (P ¼ 0.001) after induction, 56 vs 7.6 after intensification (P ¼ 0.0001) and 75 vs 3.3 (P ¼ 0.0001) at the end of chemotherapy. Relapses were more common in patients with FC MRD level 40.1% at the end of treatment than in patients with p0.1%: cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 67 and 21% (P ¼ 0.03), respectively. Likewise, using RQ-PCR, a cutoff level of 410 copies at the end of treatment correlated with a high risk of relapse: CIR was 75% for patients with RQ-PCR 410 compared to 21% for patients with RQ-PCR levels p10 (P ¼ 0.04). Combined use of FC and RQ-PCR may improve MRD detection, and provide useful clinical information on relapse kinetics in AML patients.

Aquaculture continues to be the fastest growing animal production industry and this rate of expansion must continue if aquaculture is to satisfy global demand for ¢sh products in the face of dwindling capture ¢sheries. The relationship between aquaculture and biodiversity is complex, with examples of positive and negative impacts having been reported. To enable this expansion while avoiding negative impacts from introductions of exotic species, the investigation of indigenous species becomes important and worthwhile.This paper establishes the background to development of new species for culture and describes the example of the Mexican silverside Menidia estor, which has for centuries been the principal species in an artesanal ¢shery in Lake Pa Ł tzcuaro, Mexico. The species is geographically isolated and is unique but is now endangered because of a range of factors including over¢shing, environmental degradation and introduction of exotic species. Considerable advances have been made recently in developing a closed reproductive cycle, understanding feeding and small-scale ongrowing technology for the species. Based on this, a Darwin Initiative programme was developed focused on technology transfer to implement small-scale pilot on-growing thus helping to conserve the species and to improve livelihoods. This has allowed successful pilot scale development of aquaculture for the species while at the same time addressing the objectives of the international Convention on Biodiversity.

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The tilapia fishery in a large Mexican reservoir has declined in recent years, promoting efforts to enhance stock quality in conjunction with feasibility studies for cage aquaculture. Spatial models to optimize cage location have been developed, incorporating aspects of topography, climate, hydrography, water quality and quantity, land use, infrastructure and socioeconomics. Three cage sizes were modelled, 5, 10 and 15 m diameter, for both high- and low-water levels. When full the, reservoir has a total area of 312 km2 but a reduction in water level of 13 m was recorded between wet and dry seasons, significantly reducing the surface area available for cages to 265 km2. The results indicate a significant difference in the availability of sites between seasons. For the small, medium and large cages at high water level, the areas classified as highly suitable or suitable were 151, 184 and 146 km2, respectively, while at low-water level these areas reduced to 113, 88 and 62 km2. Modelling this change in water level and the subsequent loss of available sites provide qualitative and quantitative guidelines for the development of aquaculture sites, their seasonal management and future monitoring, outcomes that can only be achieved using Geographical Information Systems and associated technologies

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2) infection affecting millions of persons around the world. There is an urgent unmet need to provide an easy-to-produce, affordable medicine to prevent transmission and provide early treatment for this disease. The nasal cavity and the rhinopharynx are the sites of initial replication of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, a nasal spray may be a suitable dosage form for this purpose. The main objective of our study was to test the antiviral action of three candidate nasal spray formulations against SARS-CoV-2. We have found that iota-carrageenan in concentrations as low as 6 mcg/ mL inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vero cell cultures. The concentrations found to be active in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 may be easily achieved by the application of nasal sprays already marketed in several countries. Xylitol at a concentration of 5 % m/V has proved to be viricidal on its own and the association with iota-carrageenan may be beneficial, as well.

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