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Selected AbstractsOral insulin , a review of current statusDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 3 2010Harish Iyer Oral insulin is one of the most exciting areas of development in the treatment of diabetes because of its potential benefit in patient convenience, rapid insulinization of liver, adequate insulin delivery avoiding peripheral hyperinsulinaemia while potentially avoiding adverse effects of weight gain and hypoglycaemia. Growing evidence that earlier initiation of intensive insulin therapy produces sustained tight glycaemic control resulting in substantial delay in complications makes an effective oral insulin product even more vital for the management of patients with diabetes. Despite knowledge of this unmet medical need, oral delivery of insulin has been unsuccessful because of several barriers. For several decades, researchers have tried to develop oral insulin using various technologies without much clinical or commercial success. This review summarizes the development status of oral insulins which are publicly reported to be undergoing clinical studies. Currently, two oral insulin products are in an advanced stage of clinical development and first data from long-term therapy are expected to be available in the second half of 2010. [source] In situ studies of the phylogeny and physiology of filamentous bacteria with attached growthENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 7 2002Trine Rolighed Thomsen Summary Among the filamentous bacteria occasionally causing bulking problems in activated sludge treatment plants, three morphotypes with attached microbial growth are common, Eikelboom Type 0041, Type 1851 and Type 1701. A better knowledge of the phylogeny and physiology of these filamentous bacteria is necessary in order to develop control strategies for bulking. In this study we have used a combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and microautoradiography (MAR) to investigate the identity and in situ physiology of the Type 0041-morphotype and its attached bacteria in two wastewater treatment plants. Identification and enumeration of Type 0041 using group-specific 16S rRNA-targeted FISH probes revealed that approximately 15% of the filaments hybridized with a gene probe specific for the TM7 group, a recently recognized major lineage in the bacterial domain. All other filaments morphologically identified as Type 0041 only hybridized to the general bacterial EUB338-probe, indicating that they probably do not belong to commonly isolated bacterial phyla such as the Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes, for which group-specific probes were used. The phylogenetic heterogeneity of Type 0041 again highlights the inadequacy of a morphology-based classification system. Like the filaments, most of the attached microbial cells were not identified beyond their affiliation to the Bacteria using the group-specific FISH probes. However, several different bacterial phyla were represented in the identified fraction suggesting that the attached microorganisms are phylogenetically diverse. The study of the in situ physiology of Type 0041 using MAR-FISH revealed that both the filaments and the attached bacteria on Type 0041 were versatile in the use of organic substrates and electron acceptors. It was observed that all Type 0041 could consume glucose, but none of the filaments were able to consume acetate under any conditions tested, in contrast to some of the attached bacteria. No significant physiological differences were found between TM7,positive and TM7,negative Type 0041 filaments, and only minor differences were observed between the two treatment plants tested. These are the first data on the physiology of the almost entirely uncharacterized TM7 phylum and show that TM7 filamentous bacteria can uptake carbon substrates under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. [source] Characterization of DNA transport in the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 18 2006Cornelia Schwarzenlander Horizontal gene transfer has been a major force for genome plasticity over evolutionary history, and is largely responsible for fitness-enhancing traits, including antibiotic resistance and virulence factors. In particular, for adaptation of prokaryotes to extreme environments, lateral gene transfer seems to have played a crucial role. Recently, by performing a genome-wide mutagenesis approach with Thermus thermophilus HB27, we identified the first genes in a thermophilic bacterium for the uptake of free DNA, a process called natural transformation. Here, we present the first data on the biochemistry and bioenergetics of the DNA transport process in this thermophile. We report that linear and circular plasmid DNA are equally well taken up with a high maximal velocity of 1.5 µg DNA·(mg protein),1·min,1, demonstrating an extremely efficient binding and uptake rate of 40 kb·s,1·cell,1. Uncouplers and ATPase inhibitors immediately inhibited DNA uptake, providing clear evidence that DNA translocation in HB27 is an energy-dependent process. DNA uptake studies with genomic DNA of Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya revealed that Thermus thermophilus HB27 takes up DNA from members of all three domains of life. We propose that the extraordinary broad substrate specificity of the highly efficient Thermus thermophilus HB27 DNA uptake system may contribute significantly to thermoadaptation of Thermus thermophilus HB27 and to interdomain DNA transfer in hot environments. [source] Occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in raw and treated sewage and river water in north-eastern SpainJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2005M. Montemayor Abstract Aims:, To determine the occurrence and levels of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in wastewater and surface waters in north-eastern Spain. Methods and Results:, Samples from five sewage treatment plants were taken monthly and quarterly during 2003. In addition, water was collected monthly from the River Llobregat (NE Spain) during the period from 2001 to 2003. All samples were analysed by filtration on cellulose acetate filters or through EnvirocheckTM using EPA method 1623, followed by immunomagnetic separation and examination by laser scanning cytometry. All raw sewage, secondary effluent and river water samples tested were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Of the tertiary sewage effluents tested, 71% were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. The proportion of viable oocysts varied according to the sample. Conclusions:, Two clear maxima were observed during spring and autumn in raw sewage, showing a seasonal distribution and a correlation with the number of cryptosporidiosis cases and rainfall events. Significance and Impact of the Study:, This study provides the first data on the occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in natural waters in north-eastern Spain. [source] Rapid screening assay of congenital adrenal hyperplasia by measuring 17,-hydroxyprogesterone with high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry from dried blood spotsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2002Chien-Chen Lai Abstract A rapid, simple, and specific method was developed for the diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) from dried blood spots on newborn screening cards based on high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS). The usefulness of 17,-hydroxyprogesterone (17OH-P) determination on dried filter-paper blood samples from patients with CAH caused by 21-hydroxylase deficiency was evaluated. The LC/MS/MS detection of 17OH-P was rapid, <4 min. The intra- and interday accuracy and precision of the method were <7%. Our procedure maintained good linearities (R2 > 0.992) and recovery rate (>83%). We used this new method to directly determine the 17OH-P levels in dried blood specimens from abnormal children of various ages, with a detection limit of 20 ng/ml (,240 pg), to avoid the time-consuming derivatization steps required by the gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method. Four dried filter-paper blood samples of CAH patients (three girls and one boy, 1,14 years old) were all quantified in an LC/MS/MS study and revealed high 17OH-P levels (>90 ng/ml). After treatment, all of the elevated 17OH-P levels either decreased or disappeared. Compared with CAH patients, 17OH-P was nearly undetectable (<20 ng/ml) in the normal infants by LC/MS/MS. This LC/MS/MS assay is not only useful for both diagnosis and monitoring of treatment of CAH in all other age groups, it also can be used as a screening test for CAH infants. In this study, we provided the first data on 17OH-P in dried blood specimens affected with CAH using HPLC/ESI-MS/MS. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 16:20,25, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Introduction of picture archiving and communication system at The Townsville HospitalJOURNAL OF MEDICAL IMAGING AND RADIATION ONCOLOGY, Issue 4 2005PE Jackson Summary The performance of a medical imaging department (MID) can be judged by the timing and availability of an image and its report to the treating physician, as this can impact on the patient's treatment, as well as the length and cost of a patient's hospitalization. The use of digital imaging has dramatically improved report turnaround time. In October 2001, The Townsville Hospital (TTH) was opened as a 460 bed greenfield site and as part of the installation a picture archiving and communication system, including web distribution of images and reports to wards and clinics, was included. This retrospective analysis of the MID at TTH is the first data on departmental productivity and individual workload and how these have changed since the hospital's opening 2 years ago, with some ideas for further improvement. [source] Retrospective study of the prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus-type 1/2, HIV, and HBV in pregnant women in ArgentinaJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 12 2007Alejandra Trenchi Abstract This study shows first data on HTLV-1/2 seroprevalence among pregnant women in the non-endemic region of Argentina. In a retrospective study a representative sample (n,=,3,143) of the pregnant women registered in the health public service in the province of Córdoba was evaluated. HTLV-1/2 seroprevalence was 0.191%,±,0.0857 [IC 0.022,0.359]. This prevalence was 10 times higher in pregnant women than in blood donors [0.019 (4/21.183)]. The pregnant women would reflect the epidemiology of the general population more accurately since it constitutes a more heterogeneous group than that of blood donors. The prevalence of infection with HIV was 2.8 times higher than that of HTLV-1/2 (P,<,0.05) and the presence of any of these two viruses was not a subrogating indicator of the presence of the other (Goodman and Kruskal's Tau coefficient,=,0.0092). The prevalence of HBV was not significantly different from that of HTLV-1/2 (P,>,0.05). We consider that it is necessary to carry out continuous studies in order to define the main risk factors for infection of these women. Thus, a decision could be made to apply the best policy in public health to prevent vertical transmission of the virus in Argentina. J. Med. Virol. 79:1974,1978, 2007. © Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] IMAGING OF OXYGEN DYNAMICS WITHIN THE ENDOLITHIC ALGAL COMMUNITY OF THE MASSIVE CORAL PORITES LOBATA,JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Michael Kühl We used transparent planar oxygen optodes and a luminescence lifetime imaging system to map (at a pixel resolution of <200 ,m) the two-dimensional distribution of O2 within the skeleton of a Porites lobata colony. The O2 distribution was closely correlated to the distribution of the predominant endolithic microalga, Ostreobium quekettii Bornet et Flahault that formed a distinct green band inside the skeleton. Oxygen production followed the outline of the Ostreobium band, and photosynthetic O2 production was detected at only 0.2 ,mol photons m,2 · s,1, while saturation occurred at ,37 ,mol photons m,2 · s,1. Oxygen levels varied from ,60% to 0% air saturation in the illuminated section of the coral skeleton in comparison to the darkened section. The O2 production within the Ostreobium band was lower in the region below the upward facing surface of the coral and elevated on the sides. Oxygen consumption in darkness was also greatest within the Ostreobium zone, as well as in the white skeleton zone immediately below the corallites. The rate of O2 depletion was not constant within zones and between zones, showing pronounced heterogeneity in endolithic respiration. When the coral was placed in darkness after a period of illumination, O2 levels declined by 50% within 20 min and approached steady-state after 40,50 min in darkness. Our study demonstrates the use of an important new tool in endolith photobiology and presents the first data of spatially resolved O2 concentration and its correlation to the physical structures and specific zones responsible for O2 production and consumption within the coral skeleton. [source] Forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) stature in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, GabonJOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Bethan J. Morgan Abstract The stature of forest elephants Loxodonta africana cyclotis was determined at the Petit Loango Reserve over 14 months from January to December 1998 and May to June 1999 using three measures: shoulder height, hind footprint length and boli diameter. The shoulder height of 53 identified elephants was measured using photogrammetric methods. The minimum estimated shoulder height was 69 cm from a young calf, and the tallest animal was 216 cm. Hind footprint length and boli diameter data were collected from unidentified individuals. The minimum footprint size was 12.5 cm and the largest 35.3 cm. Boli diameter ranged from 4.0 to 16.0 cm. A comparison of the size categories with those of savanna elephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, suggested a similar distribution of size, age and population structure, despite a marked difference in overall stature. These are the first data for measures of African forest elephant size compared to African savanna elephant size. Such data may add morphological evidence supporting recent genetic work suggesting that African forest elephants be re-classified as a distinct species from the African savanna elephant. [source] Panose, a new prebiotic candidateLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009H. Mäkeläinen Abstract Aims:, To investigate the prebiotic potential of two novel candidates, sophorose and panose, with in vitro methods. Methods and Results:, The growth of single microbial strains was first assessed for both substrates in pure cultures, and panose was further analysed in the simulated colon model with mixed human faecal culture. Quantitative PCR and flow cytometry were used to determine the microbial group and strain densities after the simulated colonic fermentation of panose, and chromatographic methods were utilized to analyse metabolite concentrations. In pure cultures, sophorose and panose were both fermented only by few beneficial strains, and in the colon simulator, panose gave a significant increase in the numbers of Bifidobacterium and Bifidobacterium lactis, concomitantly decreasing Bacteroides group. Butyrate and acetate production was significantly increased together with decreased markers of protein fermentation as a result of panose fermentation. Conclusions:, Panose had bifidogenic activities in vitro, and these potential beneficial effects should be further assessed in vitro and in vivo. Significance and Impact of the Study:, The current study has provided the first data on pure panose fermentation by the endogenous microbiota and extends our knowledge of the selective fermentation of oligosaccharides by the intestinal microbes. [source] Antibiotic resistance genes in multidrug-resistant Enterococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. recovered from the indoor air of a large-scale swine-feeding operationLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006A.R. Sapkota Abstract Aims:, In this study, multidrug-resistant bacteria previously recovered from the indoor air of a large-scale swine-feeding operation were tested for the presence of five macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin (MLS) resistance genes and five tetracycline (tet) resistance genes. Methods and Results:,Enterococcus spp. (n = 16) and Streptococcus spp. (n =16) were analysed using DNA,DNA hybridization, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and oligoprobing of PCR products. All isolates carried multiple MLS resistance genes, while 50% of the Enterococcus spp. and 44% of the Streptococcus spp. also carried multiple tet resistance genes. All Enterococcus spp. carried erm(A) and erm(B), 69% carried erm(F), 44% carried mef(A), 75% carried tet(M), 69% carried tet(L) and 19% carried tet(K). All Streptococcus spp. carried erm(B), 94% carried erm(F), 75% carried erm(A), 38% carried mef(A), 50% carried tet(M), 81% carried tet(L) and 13% carried tet(K). Conclusions:, Multidrug resistance among airborne bacteria recovered from a swine operation is encoded by multiple MLS and tet resistance genes. These are the first data regarding resistance gene carriage among airborne bacteria from swine-feeding operations. Significance and Impact of the Study:, The high prevalence of multiple resistance genes reported here suggests that airborne Gram-positive bacteria from swine operations may be important contributors to environmental reservoirs of resistance genes. [source] Species discovery in marine planktonic invertebrates through global molecular screeningMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010ERICA GOETZE Abstract Species discovery through large-scale sampling of mitochondrial diversity, as advocated under DNA barcoding, has been widely criticized. Two of the primary weaknesses of this approach, the use of a single gene marker for species delineation and the possible co-amplification of nuclear pseudogenes, can be circumvented through incorporation of multiple data sources. Here I show that for taxonomic groups with poorly characterized systematics, large-scale genetic screening using a mitochondrial DNA marker can be a very effective approach to species discovery. Global sampling (120 locations) of 1295 individuals of 22 described species of eucalanid copepods identified 15 novel evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) within this marine holoplanktonic family. Species limits were tested under reciprocal monophyly at the mitochondrial (mt) gene 16S rRNA, and 13 of 15 lineages were reciprocally monophyletic under three phylogenetic inference methods. Five of these mitochondrial ESUs also received moderate support for reciprocal monophyly at the independently-inherited nuclear gene, internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). Additional support for the utility of mt DNA as a proxy for species boundaries in this taxon is discussed, including results from related morphological and biogeographic studies. Minimal overlap of intra-ESU and inter-ESU 16S rRNA genetic distances was observed, suggesting that this mt marker performs well for species discovery via molecular screening. Sampling coverage required for the discovery of new ESUs was found to be in the range of >50 individuals/species, well above the sampling intensity of most current DNA Barcoding studies. Large-scale genetic screening can provide critical first data on the presence of cryptic species, and should be used as an approach to generate systematic hypotheses in groups with incomplete taxonomies. [source] The low frequency of defective TPMT alleles in Turkish population: A study on pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2007Tugba Boyunegmez Tumer 6-Mercaptopurine (6MP) is an essential anticancer drug used in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) polymorphisms are the major determinants of interindividual differences in the severe toxicity or efficacy of 6MP. Four variant alleles, TPMT*2, TPMT*3A, TPMT*3B, and TPMT*3C, are responsible over the 80% of low or undetectable enzyme activity. The frequencies of these variants were investigated among 106 children with ALL in Turkish population. TPMT*3A and TPMT*3C were the only deficiency alleles detected in Turkish population with an allele frequency of 0.9% for both. While *3C allele frequency in Turkish population was found to be very similar to Asian and other Caucasian populations, *3A allele frequency was significantly (P < 0.05) lower. So far, studies showed that the genetic polymorphisms of other drug metabolizing enzymes like CYP2E1, CYP1A1, GSTM1/ T1 in Turkish population were similar to Caucasian populations. However, we found that the distribution of TPMT polymorphisms in Turkish population was significantly lower than those in other Caucasians like British, French, and Italian whereas the distributions of TPMT variants were found to be very similar to Kazak population which is also Caucasian in ethnic origin. In this study, the clinical histories of the patients in the sample population were also examined, retrospectively. The patients with heterozygous or homozygous mutant genotypes had developed severe neutropenia and infection during 6MP therapy. The study provides the first data on the frequency of common TPMT variants in the Turkish population, based on analysis of pediatric patients with ALL. Am. J. Hematol. 82:906,910, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Lack of discontinuous gas exchange in a tracheate arthropod, Leiobunum townsendi (Arachnida, Opiliones)PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2002John R. B. Lighton Abstract The discontinuous gas exchange cycle, characterized by stringent spiracular control and periods of near-zero external CO2 emission separated by ,bursts' of CO2 emission, has evolved independently in several taxa of tracheate arthropods. These include the hexapoda, diplopoda, and several arachnid taxa; ticks, pseudoscorpions and solphugids. This paper presents the first data on gas exchange kinetics in a harvestman (Arachnida; Opiliones). The experimental animal, Leiobunum townsendi Weed, from an arid area of the south-western United States, displayed a metabolic rate similar to those of other arthropods at 25 °C (129 ± 22 µW). Their CO2 emission kinetics showed, when the animals were motionless, only minor variations about a mean value of 0.0217 ± 0.0037 mL/h (n = 6, mean body mass 86 mg). Expressed on an intra-recording basis, the coefficient of variation of CO2 emission (= SD/MEAN), which is an index of short-term gas emission fluctuations and thus of spiracular control, had a mean value of only 0.082. In contrast, the coefficient of variation of animals employing a discontinuous gas exchange cycle is >,1.5. Gas exchange in opilionids, unlike the case with most other tracheate arthropods, may therefore be dominated by simple diffusion without a prominent role for wide modulations of spiracular conductance. Contributory to this conservative spiracular control strategy may be the weak degree of tracheation in opilionids, combined with circulating haemocyanin, which acts as both a transport medium and a buffering reservoir for respiratory gas exchange. [source] Update on the clinical features and natural history of Wolf,Hirschhorn (4p-) syndrome: Experience with 87 patients and recommendations for routine health supervision,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS, Issue 4 2008Agatino Battaglia Abstract Wolf,Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a well-known multiple congenital anomalies/mental retardation syndrome, firstly described in 1961 by Cooper and Hirschhorn. Its frequency is estimated as 1/50,000,1/20,000 births, with a female predilection of 2:1. The disorder is caused by partial loss of material from the distal portion of the short arm of chromosome 4 (4p16.3), and is considered a contiguous gene syndrome. No single gene deletions or intragenic mutations have been shown to confer the full WHS phenotype. Since the disorder was brought to the attention of geneticists, many additional cases have been published. Only in 1999, however, were the first data on the natural history brought to the attention of the medical community. The purpose of the present study is to help delineate in more detail and over a longer period of time, the natural history of WHS, in order to establish appropriate health supervision and anticipatory guidance for individuals with this disorder. We have collected information on 87 patients diagnosed with WHS (54 females and 33 males) both in USA and Italy. Age at first observation ranged between newborn and 17 years. Twenty patients have been followed from 4 months to 23 years. The deletion proximal breakpoint varied from 4p15.32 to 4p16.3, and, by FISH, was terminal and included both WHSCR. Deletion was detected by standard cytogenetics in 44/87 (50.5%) patients, whereas FISH was necessary in the other 43 (49.5%). Array-CGH analysis at 1 Mb resolution was performed in 34/87 patients, and, in 15/34 (44%), showed an unbalanced translocation leading to both a 4p monosomy and a partial trisomy for another chromosome arm. Six more patients had been previously shown to have an unbalanced translocation by karyotype analysis or FISH with a WHS-specific probe. Sixty-five of 87 patients had an apparent pure, de novo, terminal deletion; and 1/87 a tandem duplication of 4p16.1p16.3 associated with 4p16.3pter deletion. Age at diagnosis varied between 7 months gestation and 16 years. Ninety-three percent had a seizure disorder with a good outcome; 80% had prenatal onset growth deficiency followed by short stature and slow weight gain; 60% had skeletal anomalies; 50% had heart lesions; 50% had abnormal tooth development; and 40% had hearing loss. Distinctive EEG findings were seen in 90%. Structural CNS anomalies were detected in 80%. Global developmental delay of varying degrees was present in all patients. Almost 50% was able to walk either alone or with support. Hypotonia was present in virtually all patients. A global improvement was observed in all individuals, over time. Our survey has also shown how the characteristic facial phenotype tends to be less pronounced in those patients with a smaller deletion, and microcephaly is not observed in the patients with certain cryptic unbalanced translocations. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Maximum ingested food size in captive strepsirrhine primates: Scaling and the effects of dietAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Jonathan M.G. Perry Abstract Little is known about ingested food size (Vb) in primates, even though this variable has potentially important effects on food intake and processing. This study provides the first data on Vb in strepsirrhine primates using a captive sample of 17 species. These data can be used for generating and testing models of feeding energetics. Strepsirrhines are of interest because they are hypometabolic and chewing rate and daily feeding time do not show a significant scaling relationship with body size. Using melon, carrot, and sweet potato we found that maximum Vb scales isometrically with body mass and mandible length. Low dietary quality in larger strepsirrhines might explain why Vb increases with body size at a greater rate than does resting metabolic rate. Relative to body size, Vb is large in frugivores but small in folivores; furthermore scaling slopes are higher in frugivores than in folivores. A gross estimate of dietary quality explains much of the variation in Vb that is not explained by body size. Gape adaptations might favor habitually large bites for frugivores and small ones for folivores. More data are required for several feeding variables and for wild populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 142:625,635, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Social behavior in fission,fusion groups of red uakari monkeys (Cacajao calvus ucayalii)AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 12 2009Mark Bowler Abstract Primates living in large groups that divide to forage must have social systems compatible with this mode of living. Uakari monkeys (Cacajao spp.) live in large groups and exhibit a form of fission,fusion grouping, but their social organization is poorly understood. We present some of the first data on social behavior for this genus based on a study on Cacajao calvus ucayalii. They traveled in multimale multifemale groups of highly variable sizes, with bachelor units on the periphery. Adult males were affiliative, and adult females associated with more than one adult male. Adult females typically traveled with their dependent offspring and an older juvenile within the group. In parties of two or more males, individuals engaged in previously unreported display behaviors and acted together to aggressively chase other males. Breeding was seasonal, and mating occurred away from other group members. We speculate on the social organization of C. calvus ucayalii, in which dispersal may be bisexual and peripheral males are affiliative with one another. Affiliated males appear to cooperate in fighting and displaying to other males for access to females during the breeding season. Am. J. Primatol. 71:976,987, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] D2 receptors receive paracrine neurotransmission and are consistently targeted to a subset of synaptic structures in an identified neuron of the crustacean stomatogastric nervous systemTHE JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY, Issue 3 2010Max F. Oginsky Dopamine (DA) modulates motor systems in phyla as diverse as nematodes and arthropods up through chordates. A comparison of dopaminergic systems across a broad phylogenetic range should reveal shared organizing principles. The pyloric network, located in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG), is an important model for neuromodulation of motor networks. The effects of DA on this network have been well characterized at the circuit and cellular levels in the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. Here we provide the first data about the physical organization of the DA signaling system in the STG and the function of D2 receptors in pyloric neurons. Previous studies showed that DA altered intrinsic firing properties and synaptic output in the pyloric dilator (PD) neuron, in part by reducing calcium currents and increasing outward potassium currents. We performed single cell reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments to show that PD neurons exclusively expressed a type 2 (D2,Pan) DA receptor. This was confirmed by using confocal microscopy in conjunction with immunohistochemistry (IHC) on STG wholemount preparations containing dye-filled PD neurons. Immunogold electron microscopy showed that surface receptors were concentrated in fine neurites/terminal swellings and vesicle-laden varicosities in the synaptic neuropil. Double-label IHC experiments with tyrosine hydroxylase antiserum suggested that the D2,Pan receptors received volume neurotransmissions. Receptors were further mapped onto three-dimensional models of PD neurons built from Neurolucida tracings of confocal stacks from the IHC experiments. The data showed that D2,Pan receptors were selectively targeted to approximately 40% of synaptic structures in any given PD neuron, and were nonuniformly distributed among neurites. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:255,276, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] First Genetic Insight into Libyan Tuaregs: A Maternal PerspectiveANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 4 2009Claudio Ottoni Summary The Tuaregs are a semi-nomadic pastoralist people of northwest Africa. Their origins are still a matter of debate due to the scarcity of genetic and historical data. Here we report the first data on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic characterization of a Tuareg sample from Fezzan (Libyan Sahara). A total of 129 individuals from two villages in the Acacus region were genetically analysed. Both the hypervariable regions and the coding region of mtDNA were investigated. Phylogeographic investigation was carried out in order to reconstruct human migratory shifts in central Sahara, and to shed light on the origin of the Libyan Tuaregs. Our results clearly show low genetic diversity in the sample, possibly due to genetic drift and founder effect associated with the separation of Libyan Tuaregs from an ancestral population. Furthermore, the maternal genetic pool of the Libyan Tuaregs is characterized by a major ,European" component shared with the Berbers that could be traced to the Iberian Peninsula, as well as a minor ,south Saharan' contribution possibly linked to both Eastern African and Near Eastern populations. [source] Children's memory for the duration of a paediatric consultationAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2010William J. Friedman To learn about children's ability to estimate the duration of an event many days after it occurred, 6,12-year-old children were asked to judge the amount of time (range 5,45,minutes) they spent in the treatment room as part of a paediatric visit. Judgements were made 1,week or 1,month after the visit occurred. Children showed an average error of about 13,minutes. Retention interval did not significantly affect estimates. Other judgements of the length of the interview itself (mean length 8,minutes) provided what may be the first data on children's ability to make immediate retrospective duration estimates. The results also include information about children's capacity to judge how long ago they visited the clinic. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Spatial ecology of arboreal snakes (Hoplocephalus stephensii, Elapidae) in an eastern Australian forestAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2002M. FITZGERALD Abstract Stephens' Banded Snakes (Hoplocephalus stephensii Krefft 1869) are large (to 1 m), highly arboreal elapid snakes, restricted to niesic forested areas along the eastern coast of Australia. Radiotelemetric monitoring of 16 individuals at Whian Whian State Forest in north-eastern New South Wales over 25 months provided the first data on spatial ecology of this threatened taxon. Two major influences on movements by Stephens' Banded Snakes were identified: the distribution of large hollow-bearing trees, and the avoidance of conspecifics. Radiotracked snakes were sedentary inside tree hollows for extended periods (mean = 8 days) during their active season, interrupted by occasional long (mean = 124 m) nocturnal movements to another shelter tree. Snakes travelled on the ground rather than within the canopy, and thus were potentially exposed to terrestrial predators. Although the home ranges of the radiotracked snakes overlapped substantially (mean = 27%), simultaneous occupancy of ,shared' shelter trees was less common than expected by chance. Hence, we conclude that adult Stephens' Banded Snakes generally avoid the presence of conspecifics. Snakes used from five to 30 shelter trees and home ranges of male snakes were larger than those of females (mean = 20.2 vs 5.4 ha). The large spatial scale of these movements, and limited overlap among individuals, means that a viable population of this taxon requires a large area of contiguous forest. This requirement may explain why the species has not persisted in small forest fragments. [source] Vaccination rate and age of premature infants weighing <1500 g: a pilot study in north-western SwitzerlandACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 12 2001BU Tillmann In Switzerland, there are no special vaccination recommendations for premature and low-birthweight infants with respect to a particular target vaccination age. Incomplete and delayed vaccination bears the inherent risk of preventable infections. Therefore, the vaccination rate and age of 60 premature infants in north-western Switzerland born in 1994/95 were investigated in a retrospective case-control study. For this group of patients these are the first data ever available for this region. At the age of 4,5 y, the vaccination rates for polio and diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP acellular) as well as Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) were similar in both preterm and full-term infants. In both groups, the fourth dose of vaccine against DTP, Hib and polio was far less frequently administered than the first three. The vaccination age in preterm infants for most vaccinations was significantly higher than in age-matched full-term controls. This was particularly obvious for the first dose of vaccine against polio and DTP. In preterm infants, the median age (5th; 95th percentile) at the date of the first polio vaccination was 131 (89; 270) d and 82 (60; 182) in full-term controls (p < 0.00001). The age difference was even larger for the first DTP vaccination (62 d, p < 0.00001). The main reasons for delayed vaccination may include insufficient information given to parents as well as prolonged hospitalization. Conclusion: Vaccination of preterm infants should be discussed in every discharge communication, with emphasis on vaccine administration at the appropriate chronological age. [source] | ||||||||||||||||