Aleksander Handå

Development of Saccharina latissima (Phaeophyceae) kelp hatcheries with year-round production of zoospores and juvenile sporophytes on culture ropes for kelp aquaculture

Saccharina latissima is attractive for industrial cultivation for different usages, such as biofuels, feed supplements, and derivation of chemicals. A continuous supply of kelp sporelings throughout the year may ensure a year-round production of kelp juveniles on ropes. In this study, induction of sporangial areas (sorus portions) on the blade of S. latissima was performed throughout the year at three locations: Trondheim (Norway), Grenaa (Denmark), and Sylt island (Germany). The results indicate that a year-round sorus induction in S. latissima is possible and that this induction is controlled by applying short-day treatment of adult sporophytes throughout the year and by the removal of the basal blade meristem. The artificially induced and released zoospores formed viable sporelings at all seasons, but cultivation in the sea in Norway was successful only during autumn, winter, and spring, while the growth conditions were poor during the summer. The results are important for industrial scale-up and continuous production of kelp biomass.

Development of bryozoan fouling on cultivated kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Norway

Biofouling on cultivated kelp in open sea conditions is a challenge when fouling species such as the encrusting bryozoans Membranipora membranacea and Electra pilosa develop colonies that cover the surface of the kelp lamina. The bryozoan colonies make the flexible lamina brittle and susceptible to breakage and reduce the commercial value of the biomass for both human consumption and industrial applications. The development of the bryozoan fouling on cultivated Saccharina latissima in temperate coastal waters was studied at two locations in Norway from April to September. The time of settling and development of colonies of M. membranacea and E. pilosa were characterized. Sampling of bryozoan larvae abundance at the cultivation locations showed that the bryozoan colonies settled on the cultivated kelp in mid-June at both locations, followed by a rapid colony growth during late June and July. In August and September, the kelp was highly degraded by the bryozoan coverage and highly subjected to breakage of the lamina. Membranipora membranacea was the most prevailing of the two species. Although abundant at all cultivation depths, the results showed a decrease in bryozoan coverage with increasing depth. From a commercial point of view, S. latissima deployed in temperate Norwegian coastal waters in winter should be harvested in early June to avoid the negative impact from bryozoan fouling.

The role of environmental biotechnology in exploring, exploiting, monitoring, preserving, protecting and decontaminating the marine environment

In light of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the EU Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, environmental biotechnology could make significant contributions in the exploitation of marine resources and addressing key marine environmental problems. In this paper 14 propositions are presented focusing on (i) the contamination of the marine environment, and more particularly how to optimize the use of biotechnology-related tools and strategies for predicting and monitoring contamination and developing mitigation measures; (ii) the exploitation of the marine biological and genetic resources to progress with the sustainable, eco-compatible use of the maritime space (issues are very diversified and include, for example, waste treatment and recycling, anti-biofouling agents; bio-plastics); (iii) environmental/marine biotechnology as a driver for a sustainable economic growth.

A survey of instructions to authors in surgical journals on reporting by CONSORT and PRISMA

INTRODUCTION Guidance has been published on how best to report randomised controlled trials (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials – CONSORT) and systematic reviews (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses – PRISMA). The aim of this study was to establish to what extent surgical journals formally endorse CONSORT and PRISMA in the respective reporting of randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews. METHODS Overall, 136 surgical journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports® were studied. Author guidelines were scrutinised for the following guidance: conflict of interests (COI), the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (URM), clinical trial registration, CONSORT and PRISMA. RESULTS The frequency of guidance endorsement was found to be as follows: COI 82%, URM 62%, trial registration 32%, CONSORT 29% and PRISMA 10%. Journals with a higher impact were more likely to adopt trial registration, CONSORT and PRISMA. Journals with editorial offices in the UK were more likely to insist on disclosure of COI and to endorse CONSORT. CONCLUSIONS Guidelines produced to improve publication practice have not been implemented widely by surgical journals. This may contribute to an overall poorer quality of published research. Editors of surgical journals should uniformly endorse reporting guidance and update their instructions to authors to reflect this.

Utility of plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 as a possible diagnostic marker of endoleak post endovascular aneurysm repair

In a recent article published in the European Journal of Vascular andEndovascular Surgery,Hellentahlet al. provided furtherevidence that plasma biomarkers, such as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), may be a valuable adjunctive diagnostic tool for predicting the presence of an endoleak post endovascular aneurysmrepair (EVAR).1 Although EVAR compares favourably to open surgical abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in terms of short term mortality and morbidity, the potential longer term complications mandate the lifelong follow up post procedure. The cost involved with the surveillance program, and the inconvenience for the patients to partake in a lifelong surveillance, remain a significant issue.2 Therefore, the discovery of potential diagnostic plasma biomarker(s) for the purpose of endoleak detectionwould represent a breakthrough in current standard clinical practice; it would also underpin the ethos of surgical translational research. In our search for potential plasma biomarkers for clinical applications, it is critical to examine the pre-analytical factors which may affect quantitative measurements of the biomarkers. MMP-9 is known to be affected by several pre-analytical issues, including the kind of sample matrix collected or the type of anti-coagulants used for the preparation of plasma. Blood components such aswhite blood cells and platelets are sources of MMP-9 and may release MMP-9 ex-vivo during the coagulation process. It has been shown that serum levels ofMMP-9 are higher than thatmeasured in paired plasma, and that higher levels of MMP-9 are measured in EDTA plasma compared to paired lithium heparin plasma.3,4 Given the pre-analytical influence on themeasuredMMP-9 levels, itwouldbeworthwhile for researchpublications, suchas the reportby Hellentahl et al., to include the sample preparation protocol as part of themethods section. Thiswill allow for comparisons between studies, and to guide potential clinical applications in the future.