A population of the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus Stimpson was studied at Sunset Bay, Oregon. Three sub—populations had different size—frequency distributions. Such differences in size resulted from differences in growth rate and ultimate size. Two environmental components were examined as possibly causing the different rates of growth: a component of "weather" which broke spines, and food availability and consumption. These two components are important in determining growth rate and ultimate size of these animals.

Size structure of the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus was sampled from central California to central Oregon (36°– 45°N). Size frequency and inferred recruitment events are correlated with major topographic features. Capes and headlands—predictable sites of upwelling and locations of cold water plumes— show size frequencies indicative of low recruitment rates. Sites without predictable upwelling or regions that are between headlands have size frequencies that indicate substantial annual recruitment.

Objective: Irisin has recently been introduced as a novel myokine which reverses visceral obesity and improves glucose metabolism in mice. However, regulation of irisin in humans in relation to renal and metabolic disease has not been comprehensively studied. Design and methods: Serum irisin levels were quantified by ELISA and correlated with anthropometric and biochemical parameters of renal function, glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as inflammation, in 532 patients with stages 1-5 of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Results: Median serum irisin levels adjusted for age, gender, and BMI significantly decreased with increasing CKD stage and lowest concentrations were seen in patients with CKD stage 5. Furthermore, irisin concentrations were associated with facets of the metabolic syndrome including diastolic blood pressure, markers of impaired glucose tolerance, and dyslipidemia in univariate analysis. Moreover, markers of renal function, e.g. glomerular filtration rate, and insulin resistance, e.g. homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, remained independently associated with circulating irisin levels in robust multivariate analysis. Conclusions: We show that irisin serum concentrations decrease with increasing CKD stage and are independently and positively predicted by renal function and insulin resistance. The physiological relevance of our findings, as well as the factors contributing to irisin regulation in humans, needs to be further defined in future experiments.

Growth and survival of the red sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus were studied at 18 sites from southern California to Alaska. USA. Growth was determined using tetracycline tagging and was modeled using the Tanaka growth equation. Survival rates were estirnated using size-frequency distributions and growth parameters. Using log-linear analysis, it was determined that growth transitions differed among sites (p G 0.001) but there was no north-south difference (p > 0.80). Parameters for the Tanaka growth function were estimated for all data combined (N = 2714). Residuals for sites showed no latitudinal trend and so results were consistent with the log-linear analysis. Relative jaw (demi-pyramid) size, measured as the allometnc exponent ß in jaw length as a function of test diameter, has been shown to b e responsive to available food. For red sea urchins, ß was negatively correlated with growth but there was no correlation of relative jaw size with latitude, which suggests that latitudinal differences in food availability do not exist. In contrast with annual growth rates, annual survival rates were correlated with latitude and were higher in the north. Mean annual survival probability was 0.93 yr-' from northern California to Alaska and 0.77 yr-' in southern California. Likely causes for changes in survival rate with latitude are disease and temperature-related Stress. This paper provides the basis for development of hypotheses for size and survival differences between northern and southern populations of red sea urchins and. potentially, for other marine species with planktonic larvae.

Persistent low-grade inflammation and premature ageing are hallmarks of the uremic phenotype and contribute to impaired health status, reduced quality of life, and premature mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Because there is a huge global burden of disease due to CKD, treatment strategies targeting inflammation and premature ageing in CKD are of particular interest. Several distinct features of the uremic phenotype may represent potential treatment options to attenuate the risk of progression and poor outcome in CKD. The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)–kelch-like erythroid cell-derived protein with CNC homology [ECH]-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) signaling pathway, the endocrine phosphate-fibroblast growth factor-23–klotho axis, increased cellular senescence, and impaired mitochondrial biogenesis are currently the most promising candidates, and different pharmaceutical compounds are already under evaluation. If studies in humans show beneficial effects, carefully phenotyped patients with CKD can benefit from them.

Annual survival rates in 38 populations of 17 sea urchins species in the Indo—West Pacific were related to relative size of the body wall and exposure to the surf. The urchin species are: Heterocentrotus trigonarius, H. mammillatus, Colobocentrotus atratus, Echinometra mathaei, E. oblonga, and Heliocidaris erythrogramma in the family Echinometridae; Prionocidaris baculosa in the Cidaridae; Stomopneustes variolaris in the Stomopneustidae; Echinothrix calamaris, E. diadema, Centrostephanus rodgersi, Diadema paucispinum, and D. setosum in the Diadematidae; Tripneustes gratilla, another Tripneustes sp. (possibly the same as T. gratilla), and Toxopneustes pileolus in the Toxopneustidae; and Salmacis belli in the Temnopleuridae. Populations were studied at Hawaii, Enewetak Atoll, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Kenya, Zanzibar, and Israel (Eilat). Live animals were dissected to determine the size of body components. The relative size (mass) of the body wall for a species is expressed by the constant α in the equation B = αTb, where B is wet mass of the body wall and T is total wet mass. A common β value of 0.976 ± 0.004 (SE) was used for all species, so α values can be used to compare relative body wall sizes among species. Values of α ranged from 0.966 for Heterocentrotus trigonarius (Enewetak Atoll) to 0.360 for Salmacis belli (Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia). Parameters of the Richards growth function were determined from animals tagged with tetracy—cline. Tagged animals were collected after they had been in the field for 1 yr. Growth parameters were used with parameters from size—frequency distributions to estimate Z, the mortality coefficient. Annual survival probability p is e—z. Stepwise multiple regression was used to examine the relationship between annual survival probability (p) and two independent variables, α and E, where E is a subjective measure of exposure to surf (1 = most exposed). The function is p = 1.20α + 0.061E — 0.350. Survivorship increases with increased relative size of the body wall and with increased protection from the surf. The positive relationship between survival probability and relative body wall size supports the hypothesis that survival is related to allocation of resources to maintenance. The significance of longevity in urchins probably is that it is related to the predictability of survival of prereproductive individuals. The greater the unpredictability, the longer life must be. Long life requires a greater investment in maintenance mechanisms and hence, among other adaptations, a more massive body wall.

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Our study reveals that UroVysion is the most sensitive and specific assay among those tested for the detection of urothelial carcinoma. Telomerase testing had good specificity but poor sensitivity. The BTA stat and hemoglobin dipstick tests had good sensitivity but relatively poor specificity. UroVysion is a promising new assay for the detection of urothelial carcinoma in urine specimens. However, further studies are needed to explore the role of the various assays in the treatment of patients with superficial urothelial carcinoma.