Impact of visual features on capture of Aedes aegypti with host decoy traps (HDT).

The host decoy trap (HDT) is a surveillance trap that presents a combination of heat, visual and odour stimuli to attract bloodmeal-seeking mosquitoes. Here we employed a semi-field study to demonstrate the role of the visual attributes present on the HDT on the effectiveness of Aedes aegypti capture. Our results show that the HDT is an effective means of capturing Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in semi-field conditions, with a per trial capture rate of up to 69% across four visually distinct HDTs. The solid black coloured HDT captured more mosquitoes than HDTs with black-white stripes, black-white checkerboard patches or solid white colour by a factor of 1.9, 1.7 and 1.5, respectively. In all cases, mosquito capture was not evenly distributed on the HDT surface, with captures on the HDT's outer downwind half, away from the odour delivery, exceeding captures on the inner upwind half. We conclude that the solid black surface of the original HDT design is more effective than the other surfaces (white or black/white patterns) for the capture of Ae. aegypti. Our results demonstrate that mosquito attraction to the thermal and odorant cues of the HDT is modulated by visual information.

Migrations, trauma and mental health: A literature update on psychological assessment.

INTRODUCTION: Migrants and refugees often face potentially traumatic events and post-migratory stressors. Upon arrival in the host country, they can be referred to mental health services to assess the impact of their previous experiences. These cross-cultural clinical encounters may raise questions, particularly regarding the assessment of mental health using models based on Western conceptions of psychopathology. OBJECTIVES AND METHOD: The objective of the present non-systematic review of the literature is to discuss the psychological evaluation of post-traumatic reactions in migrants and refugees. More specifically, we present current research on psychopathology, resilience and post-traumatic development (PTG) among the migrant and refugee population. We also examine the cross-cultural validity of concepts such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, resilience and PTG. Finally, we describe the most frequently used tools in cross-cultural psychological assessment and briefly reflect on the question of cultural sensitivity of mental health professionals. A bibliographic search was carried out using the databases: PILOTS, Pubmed, APA PsycNET, and Google Scholar using the following keywords: "migrants", "refugees", "posttraumatic stress disorder", "mental health", "Psychopathology", "risk factors", "protection factors", "posttraumatic growth" and "resilience". We have also reviewed the reference lists of articles encountered from database searches. RESULTS: Responses to a potentially traumatic situation are multiple. Regarding the migrant and refugee population, the reviewed articles studied different post-traumatic reactions such as resilience, post-traumatic development, and psychopathologies. The most studied psychopathological responses were depression, anxiety and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. After reviewing these studies, we asked the following question: considering the complexity of the migration process, what are the factors associated with the development of these different post-traumatic responses? Indeed, several individual and social factors before, during and after migration influence the mental health of individuals in a migration situation. Among the most cited risk factors identified were: to be a victim of or witness to violence in the country of origin and, after migration, to face post-migration difficulties such as asylum denial, to be in a precarious situation with regard to housing and work, as well as the difficulties linked to adaptation to the new culture. We have also described protective factors for the mental health of this population, such as: social support, psychological support, and a good quality of life in the host country. The reviewed articles also describe an important influence of cultural aspects on mental health, such as the perception of an event as traumatic. Although the authors of the reviewed articles accept this influence of culture on post-traumatic responses, most of the tools used to assess the mental health of migrants and refugees were created in a Western context. Studies show a growing concern with these cultural aspects, and certain tools that allow a more culturally sensitive evaluation, such as the "Cultural Formulation Interview", are being developed. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Even if the concern with the sensitivity of the tools used in cross-cultural assessment seems to be more present in the international literature, researchers seem to encounter difficulties in better understanding the effects of culture on the mental health of individuals. With increasingly diverse societies, new research should not be based on participants' geographic or ethnic origins, but rather try to "unpack" culture with, for example, the exploration of the relationships between certain values or orientations and the different expressions of psychological distress. Finally, given the still lacking development in the field of cross-cultural research, certain practices, such as the participation of interpreters, the supervision of cultural mediators or the use of culturally sensitive tools, can help the clinician to maintain good practices with patients from different cultures in the diagnostic and psychotherapeutical processes.

The characterization of the Phlebotomus papatasi transcriptome.

As important vectors of human disease, phlebotomine sand flies are of global significance to human health, transmitting several emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The most devastating of the sand fly transmitted infections are the leishmaniases, causing significant mortality and morbidity in both the Old and New World. Here we present the first global transcriptome analysis of the Old World vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis, Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) and compare this transcriptome to that of the New World vector of visceral leishmaniasis, Lutzomyia longipalpis. A normalized cDNA library was constructed using pooled mRNA from Phlebotomus papatasi larvae, pupae, adult males and females fed sugar, blood, or blood infected with Leishmania major. A total of 47 615 generated sequences was cleaned and assembled into 17 120 unique transcripts. Of the assembled sequences, 50% (8837 sequences) were classified using Gene Ontology (GO) terms. This collection of transcripts is comprehensive, as demonstrated by the high number of different GO categories. An in-depth analysis revealed 245 sequences with putative homology to proteins involved in blood and sugar digestion, immune response and peritrophic matrix formation. Twelve of the novel genes, including one trypsin, two peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRP) and nine chymotrypsins, have a higher expression level during larval stages. Two novel chymotrypsins and one novel PGRP are abundantly expressed upon blood feeding. This study will greatly improve the available genomic resources for P. papatasi and will provide essential information for annotation of the full genome.

Hypothermia and xenon: novel noble guardians in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy?

The financial and emotional cost of caring for children affected by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is enormous, and developing therapeutic strategies to prevent or ameliorate the severity of HI-related brain injury remains a major priority. In the past, supportive management was the mainstay of treatment, but considerable progress has been made in identifying and developing neuroprotective strategies for neonates with HIE. The neuroprotective effects of several therapeutic modalities, including anticonvulsants, hyperbaric oxygen, and erythropoietin, have been investigated. This Mini-Review discusses the potential of two neuroprotective agents that show the most promise thus far: xenon and therapeutic hypothermia. The pathogenesis of HIE involves more than one pathway, and intervening in multiple pathways may yield better results than interventions targeted at a single cellular level. The therapeutic benefits of xenon and hypothermia have been confirmed in several in vitro and in vivo studies, both individually and in combination. With promising results being reported, it is, perhaps, only a matter of time before xenon and hypothermia become established as a standard care for neonates with HIE.

Positional cloning of rp2 QTL associates the P450 genes CYP6Z1, CYP6Z3 and CYP6M7 with pyrethroid resistance in the malaria vector Anopheles funestus.

Pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles funestus is threatening malaria control in Africa. Elucidation of underlying resistance mechanisms is crucial to improve the success of future control programs. A positional cloning approach was used to identify genes conferring resistance in the uncharacterised rp2 quantitative trait locus (QTL) previously detected in this vector using F6 advanced intercross lines (AIL). A 113 kb BAC clone spanning rp2 was identified and sequenced revealing a cluster of 15 P450 genes and one salivary protein gene (SG7-2). Contrary to A. gambiae, AfCYP6M1 is triplicated in A. funestus, while AgCYP6Z2 orthologue is absent. Five hundred and sixty-five new single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified for genetic mapping from rp2 P450s and other genes revealing high genetic polymorphisms with one SNP every 36 bp. A significant genotype/phenotype association was detected for rp2 P450s but not for a cluster of cuticular protein genes previously associated with resistance in A. gambiae. QTL mapping using F6 AIL confirms the rp2 QTL with an increase logarithm of odds score of 5. Multiplex gene expression profiling of 15 P450s and other genes around rp2 followed by individual validation using qRT-PCR indicated a significant overexpression in the resistant FUMOZ-R strain of the P450s AfCYP6Z1, AfCYP6Z3, AfCYP6M7 and the glutathione-s-transferase GSTe2 with respective fold change of 11.2, 6.3, 5.5 and 2.8. Polymorphisms analysis of AfCYP6Z1 and AfCYP6Z3 identified amino acid changes potentially associated with resistance further indicating that these genes are controlling the pyrethroid resistance explained by the rp2 QTL. The characterisation of this rp2 QTL significantly improves our understanding of resistance mechanisms in A. funestus.

Transcription profiling associated with life cycle of Anopheles gambiae.

Complex biological events occur during the developmental process of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae (Giles). Using cDNA expression microarrays, the expression patterns of 13,440 clones representing 8,664 unique transcripts were revealed from six different developmental stages: early larvae (late third instar/early fourth instar), late larvae (late fourth instar), early pupae (< 30 min after pupation), late pupae (after tanning), and adult female and male mosquitoes (24 h postemergence). After microarray analysis, 560 unique transcripts were identified to show at least a fourfold up- or down-regulation in at least one developmental stage. Based on the expression patterns, these gene products were clustered into 13 groups. In total, eight genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to validate microarray results. Among 560 unique transcripts, 446 contigs were assigned to respective genes from the An. gambiae genome. The expression patterns and annotations of the genes in the 13 groups are discussed in the context of development including metabolism, transport, protein synthesis and degradation, cellular processes, cellular communication, intra- or extra-cellular architecture maintenance, response to stress or immune-related defense, and spermatogenesis.

Introgression as a likely cause of mtDNA paraphyly in two allopatric skippers (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae).

Gene transfer between species during interspecific hybridization is a widely accepted reality in plants but is considered a relatively rare phenomenon among animals. Here we describe a unique case of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) paraphyly in the skipper genus, Erynnis, that involves well-diverged allopatric species. Using molecular evidence from both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, we found high levels of intraspecific divergence in the mitochondrial genome within E. propertius (over 4% pair-wise sequence divergence) but no such differentiation in the nuclear genome. Sequence comparisons with related Erynnis suggest that past, but recent and infrequent introgression between E. propertius and E. horatius is the most reasonable explanation for the observed pattern of mtDNA paraphyly. This example of putative introgression highlights the complexity of mtDNA evolution and suggests that similar processes could be operating in other taxa that have not been extensively sampled. Our observations reinforce the importance of involving multiple genes with different modes of inheritance in the analysis of population history of congeneric taxa.

SINE insertion polymorphism on the X chromosome differentiates Anopheles gambiae molecular forms.

Polymorphic SINE insertions can be useful markers for assessing population structure and differentiation. Maque is a family of SINE elements which, based on bioinformatic analysis, was suggested to have been active recently in Anopheles gambiae, the major vector of malaria. Here, we report the development of polymorphic Maque insertions as population genetic markers in A. gambiae, and the use of these markers to better characterize divergence on the X chromosome between A. gambiae M and S molecular forms in populations from Burkina Faso and Mali. Our data are consistent with the recent activity of Maque. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that at least two recently active lineages may have a role in mediating genome evolution. We found differences in element insertion frequency and sequence between the M and S populations analysed. Significant differentiation was observed between these two groups across a 6 Mb region at the proximal (centromeric) end of the X chromosome. Locus-specific F(ST) values ranged from 0.14 to 1.00 in this region, yet were not significantly different from zero in more distal locations on the X chromosome; the trend was consistent in populations from both geographical locales suggesting that differentiation is not due to local adaptation. Strong differentiation between M and S at the proximal end of the X chromosome, but not outside this region, suggests the action of selection counteracting limited gene flow between these taxa and supports their characterization as incipient species.

Virtual three-dimensional blackboard: three-dimensional finger tracking with a single camera.

We present a method for three-dimensional (3D) tracking of a human finger from a monocular sequence of images. To recover the third dimension from the two-dimensional images, we use the fact that the motion of the human arm is highly constrained owing to the dependencies between elbow and forearm and the physical constraints on joint angles. We use these anthropometric constraints to derive a 3D trajectory of a gesticulating arm. The system is fully automated and does not require human intervention. The system presented can be used as a visualization tool, as a user-input interface, or as part of some gesture-analysis system in which 3D information is important.

Transcriptome analysis of the cowpea weevil bruchid: identification of putative proteinases and alpha-amylases associated with food breakdown.

We describe here the first systematic work to discover insect genes involved in food breakdown using a cDNA library enriched for gut-expressed transcripts from Callosobruchus maculatus. A total of 1056 clones were screened for cDNA insert-containing plasmids, and 503 nonredundant open reading frames were discovered. Twenty-three inferred genes potentially involved in digestive processes in cowpea weevil were identified, including proteinases and amylases. The predicted catalytic sites were identified in the inferred cysteine and aspartic acid proteinases, and in alpha-amylases. Transcriptome analysis of the cowpea bruchid will potentially permit gene discovery in other beetles, an insect order of major economic and ecological importance that is poorly represented in genomic databases.

Germ line transformation of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, mediated by transpositional insertion of a piggyBac vector.

Mosquito-vectored diseases such as yellow fever and dengue fever continue to have a substantial impact on human populations world-wide. Novel strategies for control of these mosquito vectored diseases can arise through the development of reliable systems for genetic manipulation of the insect vector. A piggyBac vector marked with the Drosophila melanogaster cinnabar (cn) gene was used to transform the white-eyed khw strain of Aedes aegypti. Microinjection of preblastoderm embryos resulted in four families of cinnabar transformed insects. An overall transformation frequency of 4%, with a range of 0% to as high as 13% for individual experiments, was achieved when using a heat-shock induced transposase providing helper plasmid. Southern hybridizations indicated multiple insertion events in three of four transgenic lines, while the presence of duplicated target TTAA sites at either ends of individual insertions confirmed characteristic piggyBac transposition events in these three transgenic lines. The transgenic phenotype has remained stable for more than twenty generations. The transformations effected using the piggyBac element establish the potential of this element as a germ-line transformation vector for Aedine mosquitoes.

Hipoglucemia facticia: a propósito de un caso / Factitious hypoglycemia: case report

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The minimum internal and external sequence requirements for transposition of the eukaryotic transformation vector piggyBac.

The piggyBac element from Trichoplusia ni is recognized as a useful vector for transgenesis of a wide variety of species. This transposable element is 2472 bp in length, and has a complex repeat configuration consisting of an internal repeat (IR), spacer, and terminal repeat (TR) at both ends, and a single ORF encoding the transposase. Excision assays performed in microinjected T. ni embryos using plasmids deleted for progressively larger portions of the piggyBac internal sequence reveal that the 5' and 3' IR, spacer, and TR configuration is sufficient for precise excision of piggyBac when transposase is provided in trans. Interplasmid transposition assays using plasmids carrying varying lengths of intervening sequence between the piggyBac termini in T. ni demonstrate that a minimum of 55 bp of intervening sequence is required for optimal transposition, while lengths less than 40 bp result in a dramatic decrease in transposition frequency. These results suggest that the piggyBac transposase may bind both termini simultaneously before cleavage can occur, and/or that the formation of a transposition complex requires DNA bending between the two termini. Based on these results we constructed a 702-bp cartridge with minimal piggyBac 5' and 3' terminal regions separated by an intervening sequence of optimal length. Interplasmid transposition assays demonstrate that the minimal terminal configuration is sufficient to mediate transposition, and also verify that simply inserting this cartridge into an existing plasmid converts that plasmid into a non-autonomous piggyBac transposon. We also constructed a minimal piggyBac vector, pXL-Bac, that contains an internal multiple cloning site sequence between the minimal terminal regions. These vectors should greatly facilitate the utilization of the piggyBac transposon in a wide range of hosts.

Mobility of the piggyBac transposon in embryos of the vectors of Dengue fever (Aedes albopictus) and La Crosse encephalitis (Ae. triseriatus).

The re-emergence of arboviral diseases such as Dengue Fever and La Crosse encephalitis is primarily due to the failure of insect vector control strategies. The development of a procedure capable of producing stable germ-line transformants in the insect vectors of these diseases would bridge the gap between gene expression systems being developed to curb vector transmission and the identification of important genes and regulatory sequences and their reintroduction back into the insect genome in the form of vector control strategies. The transposable element piggyBac is capable of transposition in a variety of insect species, and could serve as a versatile insect transformation vector. Using plasmid-based excision and transposition assays, we report that this short-ITR transposon undergoes precise, transposase-dependent excision and transposition in embryos of Aedes albopictus and Aedes triseriatus, the vectors of Dengue fever and LaCrosse encephalitis, respectively. These assays allow us easily and rapidly to confirm and assess the potential utility of piggyBac as a gene transfer tool in a given species. piggyBac is an exceptionally mobile and versatile genetic transformation vector, comparable to other transposons currently in use for the transformation of insects. The mobility of the piggyBac element seen in both Ae. albopictus and Ae. triseriatus is further evidence that it can be employed as a germ-line vector in important insect disease vectors.

Transposition of the piggyBac element in embryos of Drosophila melanogaster, Aedes aegypti and Trichoplusia ni.

The Lepidopteran transposable element piggyBac is being recognized as a useful vector for genetic engineering in a variety of insect species. This transposon can mediate transformation in the Dipteran species Ceratitis capitata, and can potentially serve as a versatile vector for transformation of a wide variety of insect species. Using a plasmid-based interplasmid transposition assay, we have demonstrated that this transposon, of the short inverted terminal repeat type, is capable of transposition in embryos of three different insect species, Drosophila melanogaster, the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti, and its host of origin, Trichoplusia ni. This assay can confirm the potential utility of piggyBac as a gene transfer tool in a given insect species, and provides an experimental model for assessing molecular mechanisms of transposon movement.

Difference in the in-hospital mortality of unstable angina pectoris between men and women.

PURPOSE: To assess differences in the in-hospital mortality (HM) rate between men and women with unstable angina pectoris (UA) according to age, depression of the ST segment, history of previous acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and risk factors for coronary heart disease. METHODS: From October 96 to March 98, 261 patients with UA were selected. Logistic regression models were developed to adjust the association between sex and HM for possible influence of covariables, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and familial history of early coronary heart disease. RESULTS: HM due to UA was approximately three times higher in women (9.3%; 12/129) than in men (3.0%; 4/132) accounting for a relative risk of 3.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02-9.27. In logistic regression models, the association between sex and death was not significantly altered when the following parameters were considered: age, depression of the ST segment, history of previous AMI and risk factors for coronary heart disease. The nonadjusted and adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the distinct covariables were 3.28 (CI 95% = 1.03-10.45) and 3.14 (CI = 95% = 0.88-11.20), respectively. CONCLUSION: Similarly to AMI, HM in UA is higher in women than in men. Age, risk factors for coronary heart disease, and depression of the ST segment in the electrocardiogram on patients' admission to the hospital did not significantly influence the association between sex and death.

Using self-organizing maps to learn geometric hash functions for model-based object recognition.

A major problem associated with geometric hashing and methods which have emerged from it is the nonuniform distribution of invariants over the hash space. This has two serious effects on the performance of the method. First, it can result in an inefficient storage of data which can increase recognition time. Second, given that geometric hashing is highly amenable to parallel implementation, a nonuniform distribution of data poses difficulties in tackling the load-balancing problem. Finding a "good" geometric hash function which redistributes the invariants uniformly over the hash space is not easy. Current approaches make assumptions about the statistical characteristics of the data and then use techniques from probability theory to calculate a transformation that maps the nonuniform distribution of invariants to a uniform one. In this paper, a new approach is proposed based on an elastic hash table. In contrast to existing approaches which try to redistribute the invariants over the hash bins, we proceed oppositely by distributing the hash bins over the invariants. The key idea is to associate the hash bins with the output nodes of a self-organizing feature map (SOFM) neural network which is trained using the invariants as training examples. In this way, the location of a hash bin in the space of invariants is determined by the weight vector of the node associated with the hash bin. During training, the SOFM spreads the hash bins proportionally to the distribution of invariants (i.e., more hash bins are assigned to higher density areas while less hash bins are assigned to lower density areas) and adjusts their size so that they eventually hold almost the same number of invariants. The advantage of the proposed approach is that it is a process that adapts to the invariants through learning. Hence, it makes absolutely no assumptions about the statistical characteristics of the invariants and the geometric hash function is actually computed through learning. Furthermore, SOFM's "topology preserving" property ensures that the computed geometric hash function should be well behaved. The proposed approach, was shown to perform well on both artificial and real data.

Analysis of the cis-acting DNA elements required for piggyBac transposable element excision.

The terminal DNA sequence requirements for piggyBac transposable element excision were explored using a plasmid-based assay in transfected, cultured insect cells. A donor plasmid containing duplicate 3' piggyBac terminal inverted repeats was constructed that allowed individual nucleotides or groups of nucleotides within one of the 3' repeats to be mutated. The relative extent of excision using the mutated end versus the wild-type end was then assayed. Removal of even one of the terminal 3' G nucleotides from the piggyBac inverted repeat, or removal of the dinucleotide AA from the flanking TTAA target site prevents excision of piggyBac at the mutated terminus. Incorporation of an asymmetric TTAC target site at the 3' end does not prevent excision from the mutated end. Thus, both piggyBac DNA and flanking host DNA appear to play crucial roles in the excision process.