Perinatal exposure of rats to the HIV drug efavirenz affects medial prefrontal cortex cytoarchitecture.

Efavirenz (EFV) is used for antiretroviral treatment of HIV infection, and successfully inhibits viral replication and mother-to-child transmission of HIV during pregnancy and childbirth. Unfortunately, the drug induces neuropsychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depressed mood and potentially affects cognitive performance. EFV acts on, among others, the serotonin transporter and serotonin receptors that are expressed in the developing brain. Yet, how perinatal EFV exposure affects brain cytoarchitecture remains unclear. Here, we exposed pregnant and lactating rats to EFV, and examined in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of their adult offspring the effects of the maternal EFV exposure on cortical architecture. We observed a significant decrease in the number of cells, mainly mature neurons, in the infra/prelimbic and cingulate cortices of adult offspring. Next, we found an altered cortical cytoarchitecture characterized by a significant reduction in deep- and superficial-layer cells. This was accompanied by a sharp increase in programmed cell death, as we identified a significantly higher number of cleaved Caspase-3-positive cells. Finally, the serotonergic and dopaminergic innervation of the mPFC subdomains was increased. Thus, the perinatal exposure to EFV provoked in the mPFC of adult offspring cell death, significant changes in cytoarchitecture, and disturbances in serotonergic and dopaminergic innervation. Our results are important in the light of EFV treatment of HIV-positive pregnant women, and its effect on brain development and cognitive behavior.

Perinatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure and behavioral outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analyses of animal studies.

In the Western world, 2-5 % of pregnant women use selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. There is no consensus on the potential long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of early SSRI exposure. Our aim was to determine whether there is an overall effect of perinatal SSRI exposure in animals on a spectrum of behavioral domains. After a comprehensive database search in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, we included 99 publications. We performed nine meta-analyses and two qualitative syntheses corresponding to different behavioral categories, aggregating data from thousands of animals. We found evidence for reduced activity and exploration behavior (standardized mean difference (SMD) -0.28 [-0.38, -0.18]), more passive stress coping (SMD -0.37 [-0.52, -0.23]), and less efficient sensory processing (SMD -0.37 [-0.69, -0.06]) in SSRI- versus vehicle-exposed animals. No differences were found for anxiety (p = 0.06), social behavior, learning and memory, ingestive- and reward behavior, motoric behavior, or reflex and pain sensitivity. Exposure in the period equivalent to the human third trimester was associated with the strongest effects.

Detecção de Aethalion reticulatum (L., 1767) (Hemiptera: Aethalionidae) em alfavaca-cravo (Ocimum gratissimum L.) e observações sobre sua ocorrência / Detection of Aethalion reticulatum (L., 1767) (Hemiptera: Aethalionidae) in clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum L.) and observations of its occurrence

O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar a ocorrência da cigarrinha Aethalionidae em alfavaca-cravo (Ocimum gratissimum L.) no município de Bandeirantes-PR. Plantas com cerca de dois anos, na fase reprodutiva, com inflorescências, flores, frutos e sementes, serviram como fonte para a coleta de ninfas e adultos das cigarrinhas. Registrou-se em alfavaca-cravo a espécie Aethalion reticulatum e a interação com as formigas Camponotus rufipes e C. crassus.

The aim of this work was to report the occurrence of the leafhopper Aethalionidae in clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum) in Bandeirantes Municipality, Paraná State, Brazil. Plants around two years old, in the reproductive phase, presenting inflorescences, flowers, fruits and seeds, were used as source for collection of leafhopper nymphs and adults. In clove basil, the species Aethalion reticulatum was recorded, in addition to its interaction with the ants Camponotus rufipes and C. crassus.

Phylogeographic patterns of mtDNA reflecting the colonization of the Canary Islands.

Although the Canary Islands were settled by humans, possibly of Berber origin, as late as 2500 years ago, the precise course and numbers of early migrations to the archipelago remain controversial. We have therefore analysed mtDNA variation (HVS-I as well as selected RFLP sites) in 300 individuals from the seven Canary Islands. The distribution and variation across the islands in a specific mtDNA clade of Northwest African ancestry suggest that there was one dominant initial settlement process that affected all the islands, from east to west. This indicates that a certain genetic affinity of present-day Canary Islanders to Northwest African Berbers mainly stems from the autochthonous population rather than slaves captured on the neighbouring African coast. The slave trade after the European conquest left measurable, though minor, traces in the mtDNA pool of the Canary Islands, which in its majority testifies to the European immigration.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of northwest African populations reveals genetic exchanges with European, near-eastern, and sub-Saharan populations.

Genetic studies have emphasized the contrast between North African and sub-Saharan populations, but the particular affinities of the North African mtDNA pool to that of Europe, the Near East, and sub-Saharan Africa have not previously been investigated. We have analysed 268 mtDNA control-region sequences from various Northwest African populations including several Senegalese groups and compared these with the mtDNA database. We have identified a few mitochondrial motifs that are geographically specific and likely predate the distribution and diversification of modern language families in North and West Africa. A certain mtDNA motif (16172C, 16219G), previously found in Algerian Berbers at high frequency, is apparently omnipresent in Northwest Africa and may reflect regional continuity of more than 20,000 years. The majority of the maternal ancestors of the Berbers must have come from Europe and the Near East since the Neolithic. The Mauritanians and West-Saharans, in contrast, bear substantial though not dominant mtDNA affinity with sub-Saharans.

Blood group polymorphisms in the Canary Islands.

Human samples from the seven Canary Islands were studied for the following polymorphic red cell blood group systems: ABO, RH, MNSs, FY and P. In contrast to the intra-insular homogeneity found, inter-insular heterogeneity was observed for ABO, RH and FY. The observed blood group allelic systems were within the range of European populations, with some minor African contribution.

Endoscopic removal of an intussuscepted appendix mimicking a polyp--an endoscopic hazard.

A 55-yr-old white woman with a polypoid filling defect in the caput cecum, on barium enema examination, had endoscopic removal of this mass. This was immediately recognized macroscopically to be an intussuscepted appendix. This case is only the second naturally inverting appendix to be removed endoscopically, and it was complicated 18 h later by local peritonitis which was heralded by acute right lower quadrant pain. Laparotomy revealed a cleanly transected base of appendix and cecal adhesions representing previous chronic inflammatory disease. Endoscopists should consider this diagnosis in all cases of mass lesions of the caput cecum. It is imperative to retrieve such lesions if polypectomy is performed, as the macroscopic diagnosis is then evident. Once the diagnosis is established, immediate surgery is advised rather than watchful waiting.