Rapid multi-generational acclimation of coralline algal reproductive structures to ocean acidification.

The future of coral reef ecosystems is under threat because vital reef-accreting species such as coralline algae are highly susceptible to ocean acidification. Although ocean acidification is known to reduce coralline algal growth rates, its direct effects on the development of coralline algal reproductive structures (conceptacles) is largely unknown. Furthermore, the long-term, multi-generational response of coralline algae to ocean acidification is extremely understudied. Here, we investigate how mean pH, pH variability and the pH regime experienced in their natural habitat affect coralline algal conceptacle abundance and size across six generations of exposure. We show that second-generation coralline algae exposed to ocean acidification treatments had conceptacle abundances 60% lower than those kept in present-day conditions, suggesting that conceptacle development is initially highly sensitive to ocean acidification. However, this negative effect of ocean acidification on conceptacle abundance disappears after three generations of exposure. Moreover, we show that this transgenerational acclimation of conceptacle development is not facilitated by a trade-off with reduced investment in growth, as higher conceptacle abundances are associated with crusts with faster growth rates. These results indicate that the potential reproductive output of coralline algae may be sustained under future ocean acidification.

Analgesic use and risk of recurrent falls in participants with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have compared the risk of recurrent falls across different types of analgesic use, and with limited adjustment for potential confounders (e.g., pain/depression severity). We assessed analgesic use and the subsequent risk of recurrent falls, among participants with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: A longitudinal analysis included 4231 participants aged 45-79 years at baseline with 4-year follow-up from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) cohort study. We grouped participants into six mutually exclusive subgroups based on annually assessed analgesic use in the following hierarchical order of analgesic/central nervous system (CNS) potency: use of (1) opioids, (2) antidepressants, (3) other prescription pain medications, (4) over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications, (5) nutraceuticals, and (6) no analgesics. We used multivariable modified Poisson regression models with a robust error variance to estimate the effect of analgesic use on the risk of recurrent falls (≥2) in the following year, adjusted for demographics and health status/behavior factors. RESULTS: Opioid use increased from 2.7% at baseline to 3.6% at the 36-month visit (>80% using other analgesics/nutraceuticals), while other prescription pain medication use decreased from 16.7% to 11.9% over this time period. Approximately 15% of participants reported recurrent falls. Compared to those not using analgesics, participants who used opioids and/or antidepressants had a 22-25% increased risk of recurrent falls (opioids: RRadjusted = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.04-1.45; antidepressants: RRadjusted = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.10-1.41). CONCLUSION: Participants with or at risk of knee OA who used opioids and antidepressants with/without other analgesics/nutraceuticals may have an increased risk of recurrent falls after adjusting for potential confounders. Use of opioids and antidepressants warrants caution.

Vibrio cholerae laboratory infection of the adult house fly Musca domestica.

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that house flies may be capable of specifically harbouring ingested Vibrio cholerae in their digestive tracts. Flies were continuously fed green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled, non-O1/non-O139 environmental strains of V. cholerae. Bacterial burdens were quantitatively measured using plate counts and localization was directly observed using confocal microscopy. Vibrio cholerae were present in the fly alimentary canal after just 4 h, and reached a plateau of ∼107 colony-forming units (CFU)/fly after 5 days in those flies most tolerant of the pathogen. However, individual flies were resistant to the pathogen: one or more flies were found to carry < 180 V. cholerae CFU at each time-point examined. In flies carrying V. cholerae, the pathogen was predominantly localized to the midgut rather than the rectal space or crop. The proportion of house flies carrying V. cholerae in the midgut was dose-dependent: the continuous ingestion of a concentrated, freshly prepared dose of V. cholerae increased the likelihood that fluorescent cells would be observed. However, V. cholerae may be a transient inhabitant of the house fly. This work represents the first demonstration that V. cholerae can inhabit the house fly midgut, and provides a platform for future studies of host, pathogen and environmental mediators of the successful colonization of this disease vector.

Direct diagnosis and management of emotional factors in chronic headache patients.

Somatization, anxiety, depression and personality disorders are common features of many patients with chronic headaches. Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) is a brief therapy method developed specifically to treat patients with this cluster of somatic problems, symptoms and maladaptive behaviours through focusing on how the patient handles emotional experiences. It also contains a direct method of assessing the somatic discharge pathways of both emotions and anxiety, thus allowing direct observation of somatization in the case of many chronic headache sufferers. In this review, we summarize the extant literature on emotional factors in headache, review the evidence for short-term dynamic therapies in somatic problems and describe the assessment and treatment method of ISTDP we use routinely with chronic headache sufferers.

Disruption of pheromone communication of Choristoneura rosaceana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) using microencapsulated sex pheromones formulated with horticultural oil.

Sprayable, microencapsulated (MEC) sex pheromone formulations represent a promising tool for achieving mating disruption, yet often lack sustained effectiveness in the field, making repeated applications necessary. This study evaluated the impact of adding Purespray Green horticultural oil as an adjuvant to 3M MEC-LR, an MEC formulation of (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, on disruption of mate-finding behavior in Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) in small-plot trials in experimental apple orchards. Treatments consisting of MEC-LR in water, MEC-LR in water + 2% (vol:vol) Purespray Green, and a water control were applied to plots of apple using an airblast sprayer at a rate of 100 g of pheromone/ha. Disruption caused by foliar treatments was evaluated over a 7-wk period using mark-release recapture experiments in the field and concurrent bioassays in a flight tunnel. Disruption of orientation to 2-d-old, calling, virgin females was used as a measure of treatment effect in all experiments. Both pheromone alone and pheromone + oil treatments significantly disrupted male mate-finding behavior for a period of > or =21 d in flight tunnel assays and > or =42 d in mark-recapture field trials. The addition of oil did not significantly enhance the disruption activity nor increase the longevity of the MEC pheromone formulation. Our results show the compatibility of spraying MEC pheromone with a horticultural oil, and techniques for applying an oil-pheromone formulation to maximize the control impact of this combination are discussed.

Cell cycle roles for two 14-3-3 proteins during Drosophila development.

Drosophila 14-3-3 epsilon and 14-3-3 zeta proteins have been shown to function in RAS/MAP kinase pathways that influence the differentiation of the adult eye and the embryo. Because 14-3-3 proteins have a conserved involvement in cell cycle checkpoints in other systems, we asked (1) whether Drosophila 14-3-3 proteins also function in cell cycle regulation, and (2) whether cell proliferation during Drosophila development has different requirements for the two 14-3-3 proteins. We find that antibody staining for 14-3-3 family members is cytoplasmic in interphase and perichromosomal in mitosis. Using mutants of cyclins, Cdk1 and Cdc25(string) to manipulate Cdk1 activity, we found that the localization of 14-3-3 proteins is coupled to Cdk1 activity and cell cycle stage. Relocalization of 14-3-3 proteins with cell cycle progression suggested cell-cycle-specific roles. This notion is confirmed by the phenotypes of 14-3-3 epsilon and 14-3-3 zeta mutants: 14-3-3 epsilon is required to time mitosis in undisturbed post-blastoderm cell cycles and to delay mitosis following irradiation; 14-3-3 zeta is required for normal chromosome separation during syncytial mitoses. We suggest a model in which 14-3-3 proteins act in the undisturbed cell cycle to set a threshold for entry into mitosis by suppressing Cdk1 activity, to block mitosis following radiation damage and to facilitate proper exit from mitosis.

Incidence of the endothelin receptor B mutation that causes lethal white foal syndrome in white-patterned horses.

OBJECTIVE: To determine incidence of the Ile118Lys endothelin receptor B (EDNRB) mutation responsible for overo lethal white syndrome (OLWS) and its association with specific types of white patterning. ANIMALS: 945 horses of white-patterned bloodlines and 55 solid-colored horses of other breeds. PROCEDURE: Horses were genotyped by use of allele-specific polymerase chain reaction to determine incidence of the Ile118Lys EDNRB mutation. RESULTS: Genotypes detected were homozygous Ile118, homozygous Lys118, and heterozygous. All foals with OLWS were homozygous for the Ile118Lys EDNRB mutation, and adults that were homozygous were not found. White patterning was strongly associated with EDNRB genotype. Color patterns with highest incidence (> 94%) of heterozygotes were frame overo, highly white calico overo, and frame blend overo. White-patterned bloodlines with lowest incidence of heterozygotes (< 21 %) were tobiano, sabino, minimally white calico overo, splashed white overo, nonframe blend overo, and breeding-stock solid. The mutation was not detected in solid-colored horses from breeds without white patterning. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In homozygotes, the Ile118Lys EDNRB mutation causes OLWS. In heterozygotes, the mutation is usually responsible for a frame overo phenotype. The frame pattern can be combined with other white patterns, making accurate estimation of EDNRB genotype by visual inspection difficult. Wide range of incidence of heterozygotes in various subtypes of white-patterned horses indicates different genetic control of these color patterns. Determination of EDNRB genotype by use of a DNA-based test is the only way to determine with certainty whether white-patterned horses can produce a foal affected with OLWS.

Sex differences in renal transplantation in Canada.

To determine if a patient's sex influences access to renal transplantation in Canada, transplant recipient data for first cadaveric unrelated renal transplants were obtained from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR) for the period 1985-1992. There were 4683 first unrelated cadaveric transplant recipients during this time. Differences in the proportion of men and women registered with CORR who received a renal transplant were analyzed. In Canada between 1985 and 1992, 25% of males 40 years and older on dialysis received renal transplants compared with 18% of females (p < 0.0001, RR 1.54, 95% CI 1.40-1.67). There was no difference in the rates of transplants in males and females who were under 40 years of age. Adjusting for panel-reactive antibody data did not change the significance of the difference in transplant rates between the sexes. In Canada from 1985 to 1992, male patients with end-stage renal disease received proportionately more transplants than females.

Endothelin receptor B polymorphism associated with lethal white foal syndrome in horses.

Overo lethal white syndrome (OLWS) is an inherited syndrome of foals born to American Paint Horse parents of the overo coat-pattern lineage. Affected foals are totally or almost totally white and die within days from complications due to intestinal aganglionosis. Related conditions occur in humans and rodents in which mutations in the endothelin receptor B (EDNRB) gene are responsible. EDNRB is known to be involved in the developmental regulation of neural crest cells that become enteric ganglia and melanocytes. In this report we identify a polymorphism in the equine EDNRB gene closely associated with OLWS. This Ile to Lys substitution at codon 118 is located within the first transmembrane domain of this seven-transmembrane domain G-protein-coupled receptor protein. All 22 OLWS-affected foals examined were homozygous for the Lys118 EDNRB allele, while all available parents of affected foals were heterozygous. All but one of the parents also had an overo white body-spot phenotype. Solid-colored control horses of other breeds were homozygous for the Ile118 EDNRB allele. Molecular definition of the basis for OLWS in Paint Horses provides a genetic test for the presence of the Lys118 EDNRB allele and adds to our understanding of the basis for coat color patterns in the horse.

Effects of 'tone-reducing' vs. standard plaster-casts on gait improvement of children with cerebral palsy.

The relative effects of 'tone-reducing' (inhibitive) and standard casts on the gait patterns and functional motor activities of two children with cerebral palsy were examined in a repeated measures (single-subject) design. Both children's stride length improved in the tone-reducing casts, compared with standard casts, but there were no significant difference between the two casts in step length ratio, base of support or foot progression angle. From videotapes, clinicians noted mildly improved gait and function over baseline levels for one child during the tone-reducing cast phase. They also consistently rated this child's performance as being better with the tone-reducing casts than with the standard casts. Parents and therapists also favoured the tone-reducing casts. However, further evidence is needed for the efficacy of tone-reducing casts in the management of children with cerebral palsy.

Efficacy of two treatment approaches to reduce tongue protrusion of children with Down syndrome.

Five children with Down syndrome aged between 21 and 31 months, all of whom demonstrated habitual tongue protrusion, were randomly assigned to receive either oral-motor treatment or behavior modification. Tongue posture of all three children who received oral-motor treatment improved. For two of these the improvement leveled off after treatment had ended, but the third continued to show improvement. One of the two children receiving behavior modification showed improved tongue posture during treatment and maintained the improvement, but for the second there were insufficient data points to draw firm conclusions. Both forms of treatment appear to be effective, but further study is needed before definite conclusions can be made.

Familial fatal Parkinsonism with alveolar hypoventilation and mental depression.

The clinical, pathological, and neurochemical characteristics of a newly recognized inherited neurological disorder are reported. Lethargy and mental depression are early symptoms, followed by mild parkinsonism and progressive weight loss. Failure of automatic respiratory control develops and may result in sudden death. Advanced degeneration of the substantia nigra, cell loss and gliosis of the basal ganglia, and focal gliosis in the medulla are seen on pathological study. Degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is evidenced by low levels of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine, homovanillic acid, and L-dopa decarboxylase in postmortem brain samples. Taurine concentrations in fasting plasma and CSF are somewhat depressed; brain contents of taurine are within normal limits.