| 1. |
- In ’t Veld, Sjors G.J.G., et al.
(author)
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Detection and localization of early- and late-stage cancers using platelet RNA
- 2022
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In: Cancer Cell. - : Elsevier. - 1535-6108 .- 1878-3686. ; 40:9, s. 999-1009.e6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancer patients benefit from early tumor detection since treatment outcomes are more favorable for less advanced cancers. Platelets are involved in cancer progression and are considered a promising biosource for cancer detection, as they alter their RNA content upon local and systemic cues. We show that tumor-educated platelet (TEP) RNA-based blood tests enable the detection of 18 cancer types. With 99% specificity in asymptomatic controls, thromboSeq correctly detected the presence of cancer in two-thirds of 1,096 blood samples from stage I–IV cancer patients and in half of 352 stage I–III tumors. Symptomatic controls, including inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases, and benign tumors had increased false-positive test results with an average specificity of 78%. Moreover, thromboSeq determined the tumor site of origin in five different tumor types correctly in over 80% of the cancer patients. These results highlight the potential properties of TEP-derived RNA panels to supplement current approaches for blood-based cancer screening.
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| 2. |
- De Leeuw, Joep
(author)
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Eggs in the Freezer: Energetic Consequences of Nest Site and Nest Design in Arctic Breeding Shorebirds
- 2012
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In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Birds construct nests for several reasons. For species that breed in the Arctic, the insulative properties of nests are very important. Incubation is costly there and due to an increasing surface to volume ratio, more so in smaller species. Small species are therefore more likely to place their nests in thermally favourable microhabitats and/or to invest more in nest insulation than large species. To test this hypothesis, we examined characteristics of nests of six Arctic breeding shorebird species. All species chose thermally favourable nesting sites in a higher proportion than expected on the basis of habitat availability. Site choice did not differ between species. Depth to frozen ground, measured near the nests, decreased in the course of the season at similar non-species-specific speeds, but this depth increased with species size. Nest cup depth and nest scrape depth (nest cup without the lining) were unrelated to body mass (we applied an exponent of 0.73, to account for metabolic activity of the differently sized species). Cup depth divided by diameter 2 was used as a measure of nest cup shape. Small species had narrow and deep nests, while large species had wide shallow nests. The thickness of nest lining varied between 0.1 cm and 7.6 cm, and decreased significantly with body mass. We reconstruct the combined effect of different nest properties on the egg cooling coefficient using previously published quantitative relationships. The predicted effect of nest cup depth and lining depth on heat loss to the frozen ground did not correlate with body mass, but the sheltering effect of nest cup diameter against wind and the effects of lining material on the cooling coefficient increased with body mass. Our results suggest that small arctic shorebirds invest more in the insulation of their nests than large species.
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| 3. |
- De Leeuw, Joep
(author)
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GEOMORPHOLOGY AND FLOODING SHAPE FISH DISTRIBUTION IN A LARGE-SCALE TEMPERATE FLOODPLAIN
- 2013
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In: River Research and Applications. - : Wiley. - 1535-1459 .- 1535-1467. ; 29, s. 1226-1236
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Natural river-floodplain systems are characterized by their dynamic hydrology and diverse geomorphology resulting in a wide range of habitats that support high fish diversity and production. Various factors (e.g. hydrological dynamics, water quality, and biotic processes) have been proposed to explain fish distribution in large river floodplains, but it is still widely acknowledged that the mechanisms involved may vary in diverse floodplain systems and that they are not fully understood. To determine how flooding dynamics and floodplain geomorphology influence fish species distributions across the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, Russian Federation, we examined the distributions of eight species with respect to variables reflecting floodplain hydrology and geomorphology. On the basis of fish catches in 40 floodplain water bodies at the end of summer in 2006-2008, we found that frequency of occurrence of most fish species remained stable along the time. The distribution of fish species was strongly influenced by the size and shape of water bodies as well as flood extent. Therefore, the long-term flood variability that drives the geomorphic heterogeneity of the floodplain creates suitable habitats across ranges of fish flow guilds (rheophilic, eurytopic, and limnophilic), resulting in high diversity of the floodplain ichthyofauna. We conclude that this diverse habitat availability is a highly significant factor influencing fish distribution in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 4. |
- De Leeuw, Joep
(author)
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The importance of flooded terrestrial habitats for larval fish in a semi-natural large floodplain (Volga, Russian Federation)
- 2016
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In: Inland Waters. - 2044-2041 .- 2044-205X. ; 6, s. 105-110
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We assessed the importance of flooded terrestrial habitats for fish larvae in a semi-natural large floodplain (Volga, Russian Federation) by comparing abundances at the shoreline of permanent waterbodies with flooded terrestrial habitats. We found that overall larval abundance at the shoreline of permanent waterbodies was 6 to 10 times higher than in flooded terrestrial habitats and was highly consistent over the sampled waterbodies during the 2 year study. The potential mechanisms underlying these results are that shoreline habitats receive an influx of food with retreating warmer water from flooded terrestrial habitats, whereas the risk of hypoxia and stranding is lower at the shoreline than in flooded terrestrial habitats. Furthermore, the risk of predation is also lower at the shoreline compared to the open water habitats. Thus, we hypothesize that, rather than directly providing nursery habitat, the most important function of flooded terrestrial areas for the recruitment of fish in river floodplains is the production of food organisms that become available for larvae and juveniles with the retreating water.
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| 5. |
- Degerman, Erik, et al.
(author)
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Fisk som miljöindikator
- 2016
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Här presenteras en kort genomgång av hur fisk används som miljöindikator i vårt arbete med miljöövervakning vid institutionen för akvatiska resurser på Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet. Rapporten behandlar både sötvatten, kust och hav. I rapporten går vi igenom de undersökningsmetoder vi använder och hur och varför fisk reagerar på olika typer av miljöpåverkan. Vi berör närmare effekter av försurning, övergödning, klimatförändringar, miljögifter, främmande arter, vattenkraft och annan fysisk påverkan på miljön. Effekten av för hårt fiske kan naturligtvis också tydligt ses på drabbade fiskbestånd, till exempel genom en förändrad storleksoch åldersstruktur, svag föryngring eller få lekfiskar. Fisken indikerar således både resursutnyttjandet och miljötillståndet. Fisk är en bra indikator, till stor del därför att vi väl känner till vad som är normalt - hur mycket och vilka arter som bör förekomma, hur de tillväxer, vilken variation i arvsmassan de har, hur gamla de brukar bli, vart de vandrar och vilka mängder av miljögifter de brukar innehålla. Dessutom är det organismer som allmänheten känner till och därför kan man enkelt kommunicera miljöproblem med hjälp av fisk, samtidigt som allmänheten genom sitt intresse kan rapportera in sina egna observationer. En viktig komponent är också att vi på uppdrag av Havs- och vattenmyndigheten och flera av våra länsstyrelser genomför omfattande provfisken över hela landet med standardiserade metoder. Kunskapen om vad som är normalt och vad som händer när ett vatten påverkas ökar därför hela tiden.
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