| 1. |
- Dardouri, Maïssa, et al.
(författare)
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Assuring the Biofunctionalization of Silicone Covalently Bonded to Rhamnolipids : Antibiofilm Activity and Biocompatibility
- 2022
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Ingår i: Pharmaceutics. - : MDPI. - 1999-4923. ; 14:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Silicone-based medical devices composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are widely used all over the human body (e.g., urinary stents and catheters, central venous catheters stents) with extreme clinical success. Nevertheless, their abiotic surfaces, being prone to microorganism colonization, are often involved in infection occurrence. Improving PDMS antimicrobial properties by surface functionalization with biosurfactants to prevent related infections has been the goal of different works, but studies that mimic the clinical use of these novel surfaces are missing. This work aims at the biofunctional assessment of PDMS functionalized with rhamnolipids (RLs), using translational tests that more closely mimic the clinical microenvironment. Rhamnolipids were covalently bonded to PDMS, and the obtained surfaces were characterized by contact angle modification assessment, ATR-FTIR analysis and atomic force microscopy imaging. Moreover, a parallel flow chamber was used to assess the Staphylococcus aureus antibiofilm activity of the obtained surfaces under dynamic conditions, and an in vitro characterization with human dermal fibroblast cells in both direct and indirect characterization assays, along with an in vivo subcutaneous implantation assay in the translational rabbit model, was performed. A 1.2 log reduction in S. aureus biofilm was observed after 24 h under flow dynamic conditions. Additionally, functionalized PDMS lessened cell adhesion upon direct contact, while supporting a cytocompatible profile, within an indirect assay. The adequacy of the biological response was further validated upon in vivo subcutaneous tissue implantation. An important step was taken towards biofunctional assessment of RLs-functionalized PDMS, reinforcing their suitability for medical device usage and infection prevention.
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| 2. |
- Ruhl, Henry A., et al.
(författare)
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Societal need for improved understanding of climate change, anthropogenic impacts, and geo-hazard warning drive development of ocean observatories in European Seas
- 2011
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Ingår i: Progress In Oceanography. ; 91:1, s. 1-33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Society’s needs for a network of in situ ocean observing systems cross many areas of earth and marine science. Here we review the science themes that benefit from data supplied from ocean observatories. Understanding from existing studies is fragmented to the extent that it lacks the coherent long-term monitoring needed to address questions at the scales essential to understand climate change and improve geo-hazard early warning. Data sets from the deep sea are particularly rare with long-term data available from only a few locations worldwide. These science areas have impacts on societal health and well-being and our awareness of ocean function in a shifting climate. Substantial efforts are underway to realise a network of open-ocean observatories around European Seas that will operate over multiple decades. Some systems are already collecting high-resolution data from surface, water column, seafloor, and sub-seafloor sensors linked to shore by satellite or cable connection in real or near-real time, along with samples and other data collected in a delayed mode. We expect that such observatories will contribute to answering major ocean science questions including: How can monitoring of factors such as seismic activity, pore fluid chemistry and pressure, and gas hydrate stability improve seismic, slope failure, and tsunami warning? What aspects of physical oceanography, biogeochemical cycling, and ecosystems will be most sensitive to climatic and anthropogenic change? What are natural versus anthropogenic changes? Most fundamentally, how are marine processes that occur at differing scales related? The development of ocean observatories provides a substantial opportunity for ocean science to evolve in Europe. Here we also describe some basic attributes of network design. Observatory networks provide the means to coordinate and integrate the collection of standardised data capable of bridging measurement scales across a dispersed area in European Seas adding needed certainty to estimates of future oceanic conditions. Observatory data can be analysed along with other data such as those from satellites, drifting floats, autonomous underwater vehicles, model analysis, and the known distribution and abundances of marine fauna in order to address some of the questions posed above. Standardised methods for information management are also becoming established to ensure better accessibility and traceability of these data sets and ultimately to increase their use for societal benefit. The connection of ocean observatory effort into larger frameworks including the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and the Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES) is integral to its success. It is in a greater integrated framework that the full potential of the component systems will be realised.
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| 3. |
- Xavier, Joana R., et al.
(författare)
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Diversity, Distribution and Phylogenetic Relationships of Deep-Sea Lithistids (Porifera, Heteroscleromorpha) of the Azores Archipelago
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-7745. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lithistid sponges are globally distributed in temperate and sub-tropical areas, constituting an important component of deep-sea benthic communities where they form structurally complex and vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). In this study, we assess the diversity and investigate the spatial and bathymetric distribution of the lithistid sponges of the Azores archipelago (North Atlantic) based on historical records and examination of samples accidentally collected during deep-sea longline fishing operations in the region. Eleven lithistid species are recognized to occur in the Azores, including Leiodermatium tuba, recently described from material collected in several Northeast Atlantic seamounts that is hereby reported for the first time to the archipelago. We provide molecular barcodes (mtDNA COI and rRNA 28S) for seven of these species, including Discodermia ramifera, Macandrewia azorica, and Exsuperantia archipelagus, for which the Azores constitutes the type locality. We further discuss the phylogenetic and biogeographic affinities of the Azorean lithistids in the context of the Porifera classification, and the wider Northeast Atlantic upper bathyal fauna. Our study also warrants the addition of some lithistid species to the list of VME indicators for the Northeast Atlantic in support of the sustainable management and conservation of these species and habitats, as well as the ecological functions they deliver.
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