The discovery and comparative expression analysis of three distinct type I interferons in the perciform fish, meagre (Argyrosomus regius).

Type I interferons (IFN) play an important role in anti-viral responses. In teleost fish multiple genes exist, that are classified by group/subgroup. That multiple subgroups are present in Acanthopterygian fish has only become apparent recently, and 3 subgroups are now known to be expressed, including a new subgroup termed IFNh. However, the potential to express multiple IFN subgroups and their interplay is not well defined. Hence this study aims to clarify the situation and undertook the first in-depth analysis into the nature and expression of IFNc, IFNd and IFNh in the perciform fish, meagre. Constitutive expression was analysed initially during larval development and in adult tissues (gills, mid-gut, head kidney, spleen). During early ontogeny IFNc was the highest expressed IFN, and this was also the case in adult tissues with the exception of gills where IFNd was highest. However, comparison between tissues for individual isoforms showed that spleen had high transcript levels of all three IFNs, IFNd/IFNh were also highly expressed in gills. The expression of each sub-group was increased significantly in the four tissues following injection of poly I:C, however, this increase was only seen in the mid-gut for IFNh. Following in vitro stimulation with poly I:C again all three isoforms were upregulated, although with differences in kinetics and the cell source used. For example, early induction was seen for IFNc/IFNh in gill cells, IFNd/IFNh in splenocytes and all three isoforms in head kidney cells. Induction was sustained in splenocytes and head kidney cells, but in gut cells only a late induction was seen. These results demonstrate a complex pattern of regulation between the different IFN isoforms present in meagre and highlights potential sub-functionalisation of these IFN subgroups during perciform anti-viral responses.

Two types of TNFα in meagre (Argyrosomus regius): Discovery, distribution and expression modulation.

TNFα is a key cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and regulation of immune cells and is important during development. In the present study, 2 isoforms of TNFα were discovered in meagre, an emerging species in aquaculture. Phylogenetic analysis suggests these isoforms represent the type I and type II TNFα classes previously described in other teleost species. This study is the first to compare how these 2 types of TNFα behave in meagre and aims to provide insights into their expression in teleost fish by interrogating expression in whole tissues and isolated cell populations in four immunologically important sites (gills, intestine, head kidney and spleen) following PAMP stimulation, as well as monitoring gene expression during meagre development. Differential expression was seen in head kidney and gills, where TNFα1 was more highly expressed. Both isoforms increased in head kidney of meagre following injection with LPS, but this was not seen in other tissues or after injection with other PAMPs. However, in vitro studies hinted at a possible mucosal bias for TNFα1, which was more highly induced in gill and intestinal cell suspensions by PAMPs. In contrast TNFα2 was more highly induced in cells from systemic tissues. Through early development expression of both types of TNFα decreased as the meagre matured, with the exception of a transient increase shortly after the move to a dry feed diet. However, during the later stages of development expression of both isoforms increased in the gills. This data demonstrates a degree of differential expression of TNFα1 and TNFα2 in meagre with regard to expression regulation, and highlights the importance of TNFα during early development of teleost fish.

Patients' self-report and family caregivers' perception of quality of life in patients with advanced cancer: how do they compare?

This study describes the concordance between advanced cancer patients' self-report of quality of life and their caregivers' perception of the patients' quality of life at two time points. It is often necessary for health professionals to rely on information about the patients' quality of life that is provided by family caregivers (proxy), even though information from the patients is considered 'the gold standard'. Therefore, it is important to establish how reliable this proxy information is. Data were collected 4-6 weeks following diagnosis of recurrent or progressive disease, and again 12 weeks later. Fifty-one patients and their caregivers completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30), version 2.0 at both time points. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate patient and caregiver scores and describe the sample. The level of agreement between the two scores, the patients' self-report and the family caregivers' score, was calculated on the mean scores of each scale. In general, most caregivers were able to accurately rate the global quality of life, the level of functioning and the degree of symptom distress experienced by the person they were caring for, when compared with the patients' self-rating. Caregiver ratings for physical domains tended to be more in agreement with those of patients as compared with ratings of the psychosocial domains. This study suggests information from proxy raters is reliable when the proxy is a family caregiver, and this remains true over time.

Structure and environmental relationships of insectivorous bat assemblages in tropical Australian savannas.

Abstract Patterns in the composition of assemblages of microbat species sampled during the late dry season (the 'build-up') in north Australian savannas were assessed against a range of environmental factors as well as four a priori defined habitat types (riparian, escarpments, coastal and woodlands). Distinct species assemblages were most strongly associated with topographic and climatic variables. There were also limited associations with vegetation structure, fire and local roost potential but no associations with insects or water availability. Total species diversity at sample sites was associated with distance to rivers and rainfall. In general, species assemblages were not clearly defined and the number of significant environmental associations was relatively few. We compare these associations with those reported for bat assemblages elsewhere in Australia.