Parent-Mediated Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention and Changes in Parental Occupational Performance: A Case Report.

Aims: To describe changes in two parents' perceptions of their own parenting abilities following participation in parent-mediated Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI). Methods: Intervention services included 11 weekly hour-long sessions spent instructing parents of a two-year-old child in the use of interactive techniques to encourage social reciprocity and engagement. Initial and follow-up Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) ratings were collected and compared to child progress measured via Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). Results: COPM ratings for specific parenting activities that were identified as priorities by the participants showed clinically important changes following participation in these services. These changes were paralleled by developmental gains made by the child measured via GAS.Conclusion: Findings indicate that parent-mediated NDBI may be associated with changes in parents' perception of occupational performance during parenting activities. Furthermore, the COPM may be a useful measure of occupational performance of parents as they relate to developmental progress made by their child.

Reconciling nutritional geometry with classical dietary restriction: Effects of nutrient intake, not calories, on survival and reproduction.

Dietary restriction (DR) is one of the main experimental paradigms to investigate the mechanisms that determine lifespan and aging. Yet, the exact nutritional parameters responsible for DR remain unclear. Recently, the advent of the geometric framework of nutrition (GF) has refocussed interest from calories to dietary macronutrients. However, GF experiments focus on invertebrates, with the importance of macronutrients in vertebrates still widely debated. This has led to the suggestion of a fundamental difference in the mode of action of DR between vertebrates and invertebrates, questioning the suggestion of an evolutionarily conserved mechanism. The use of dietary dilution rather than restriction in GF studies makes comparison with traditional DR studies difficult. Here, using a novel nonmodel vertebrate system (the stickleback fish, Gasterosteus aculeatus), we test the effect of macronutrient versus calorie intake on key fitness-related traits, both using the GF and avoiding dietary dilution. We find that the intake of macronutrients rather than calories determines both mortality risk and reproduction. Male mortality risk was lowest on intermediate lipid intakes, and female risk was generally reduced by low protein intakes. The effect of macronutrient intake on reproduction was similar between the sexes, with high protein intakes maximizing reproduction. Our results provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that macronutrient, not caloric, intake predicts changes in mortality and reproduction in the absence of dietary dilution. This supports the suggestion of evolutionary conservation in the effect of diet on lifespan, but via variation in macronutrient intake rather than calories.

Co-circulation of West Nile virus and distinct insect-specific flaviviruses in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Active vector surveillance provides an efficient tool for monitoring the presence or spread of emerging or re-emerging vector-borne viruses. This study was undertaken to investigate the circulation of flaviviruses. Mosquitoes were collected from 58 locations in 10 provinces across the Aegean, Thrace and Mediterranean Anatolian regions of Turkey in 2014 and 2015. Following morphological identification, mosquitoes were pooled and screened by nested and real-time PCR assays. Detected viruses were further characterised by sequencing. Positive pools were inoculated onto cell lines for virus isolation. Next generation sequencing was employed for genomic characterisation of the isolates. RESULTS: A total of 12,711 mosquito specimens representing 15 species were screened in 594 pools. Eleven pools (2%) were reactive in the virus screening assays. Sequencing revealed West Nile virus (WNV) in one Culex pipiens (s.l.) pool from Thrace. WNV sequence corresponded to lineage one clade 1a but clustered distinctly from the Turkish prototype isolate. In 10 pools, insect-specific flaviviruses were characterised as Culex theileri flavivirus in 5 pools of Culex theileri and one pool of Cx. pipiens (s.l.), Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus in two pools of Aedes (Ochlerotatus) caspius, Flavivirus AV-2011 in one pool of Culiseta annulata, and an undetermined flavivirus in one pool of Uranotaenia unguiculata from the Aegean and Thrace regions. DNA forms or integration of the detected insect-specific flaviviruses were not observed. A virus strain, tentatively named as "Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus Turkey", was isolated from an Ae. caspius pool in C6/36 cells. The viral genome comprised 10,370 nucleotides with a putative polyprotein of 3,385 amino acids that follows the canonical flavivirus polyprotein organisation. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses revealed the close relationship of this strain with Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus from Portugal and Hanko virus from Finland. Several conserved structural and amino acid motifs were identified. CONCLUSIONS: We identified WNV and several distinct insect-specific flaviviruses during an extensive biosurveillance study of mosquitoes in various regions of Turkey in 2014 and 2015. Ongoing circulation of WNV is revealed, with an unprecedented genetic diversity. A probable replicating form of an insect flavivirus identified only in DNA form was detected.

The GLP-1 agonist exendin-4 attenuates self-administration of sweetened fat on fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement in rats.

GLP-1 agonists such as exendin-4 (EX4) are used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes and have the additional benefit of promoting weight loss. GLP-1 agonists decrease feeding through peripheral effects, but recent evidence suggests they may also influence sweet or high fat preference, as well as motivation to obtain these tastants. Yet it remains unclear how GLP-1-induced alterations in food preference influences decreases in overall feeding. The current study sought to determine if EX4 affects the reinforcing strength and consumption of a highly palatable sweet/fat reinforcer. Rats were trained to self-administer sweetened vegetable shortening (SVS) under fixed (FR) and progressive ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement. EX4 (0.3-2.4µg/kg, i.p.) administered one hour prior to operant sessions significantly reduced responses for SVS under both FR and PR schedules, although the lowest active dose (0.6µg/kg) significantly suppressed FR responding only. EX4 also dose dependently decreased locomotor activity (0.6-2.4µg/kg doses), but did not enhance acute kaolin intake, suggesting that nausea did not influence the self-administration results. Analysis of ED50 values show that EX4 is more effective at inhibiting FR responding versus PR, indicating that EX4 may have more potent effects on amount consumed versus motivation for SVS. Although EX4 caused generalized locomotor suppression, these results do not fully explain the decreases in operant responding. For example, a dose of EX4 (0.6µg/kg) that significantly suppressed locomotor activity did not affect the mean total number of lever presses during PR sessions (59±15), although it did significantly reduce lever presses during FR sessions (21±3). In addition, the pattern of intake was constant at the beginning of the sessions in both PR and FR schedules, regardless of the dose. Together these data suggest that EX4 inhibits consumption of a palatable high sweet/high fat reinforcer potentially through altering satiety.

Molecular Differentiation of the African Yellow Fever Vector Aedes bromeliae (Diptera: Culicidae) from Its Sympatric Non-vector Sister Species, Aedes lilii.

INTRODUCTION: Yellow fever continues to be a problem in sub-Saharan Africa with repeated epidemics occurring. The mosquito Aedes bromeliae is a major vector of yellow fever, but it cannot be readily differentiated from its non-vector zoophilic sister species Ae. lilii using morphological characters. Genetic differences have been reported between anthropophilic Ae. bromeliae and zoophilic Ae. lilii and between forest and domestic populations. However, due to the application of different molecular markers and non-overlapping populations employed in previous studies, interpretation of species delimitation is unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: DNA sequences were generated from specimens of Ae. simpsoni s.l. from the Republic of Benin, Tanzania and Uganda for two nuclear genes apolipophorin 2 (apoLp2) and cytochrome p450 (CYPJ92), the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COI) barcoding region. Nuclear genes apoLp2 and CYPJ92 were unable to differentiate between species Ae. bromeliae and Ae. lilii due to ancestral lineage sorting, while ITS sequence data provided clear topological separation on a phylogeny. The standard COI barcoding region was shown to be subject to species introgression and unable to clearly distinguish the two taxa. Here we present a reliable direct PCR-based method for differentiation of the vector species Ae. bromeliae from its isomorphic, sympatric and non-biomedically important sister taxon, Ae. lilii, based on the ITS region. Using molecular species verification, we describe novel immature habitats for Ae. lilii and report both sympatric and allopatric populations. Whereas only Ae. lilii is found in the Republic of Benin and only Ae. bromeliae in Tanzania, both species are sympatric in Uganda. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our accurate identification method will allow informed distribution and detailed ecological studies that will facilitate assessment of arboviral disease risk and development of future targeted vector control.

Mosquitoes of eastern Amazonian Ecuador: biodiversity, bionomics and barcodes.

Two snapshot surveys to establish the diversity and ecological preferences of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the terra firme primary rain forest surrounding the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the UNESCO Yasuní Biosphere Reserve of eastern Amazonian Ecuador were carried out in November 1998 and May 1999. The mosquito fauna of this region is poorly known; the focus of this study was to obtain high quality link-reared specimens that could be used to unequivocally confirm species level diversity through integrated systematic study of all life stages and DNA sequences. A total of 2,284 specimens were preserved; 1,671 specimens were link-reared with associated immature exuviae, all but 108 of which are slide mounted. This study identified 68 unique taxa belonging to 17 genera and 27 subgenera. Of these, 12 are new to science and 37 comprise new country records. DNA barcodes [658-bp of the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase (COI) I gene] are presented for 58 individuals representing 20 species and nine genera. DNA barcoding proved useful in uncovering and confirming new species and we advocate an integrated systematics approach to biodiversity studies in future. Associated bionomics of all species collected are discussed. An updated systematic checklist of the mosquitoes of Ecuador (n=179) is presented for the first time in 60 years.

Mosquitoes of eastern Amazonian Ecuador: biodiversity, bionomics and barcodes

Two snapshot surveys to establish the diversity and ecological preferences of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the terra firme primary rain forest surrounding the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the UNESCO Yasuní Biosphere Reserve of eastern Amazonian Ecuador were carried out in November 1998 and May 1999. The mosquito fauna of this region is poorly known; the focus of this study was to obtain high quality link-reared specimens that could be used to unequivocally confirm species level diversity through integrated systematic study of all life stages and DNA sequences. A total of 2,284 specimens were preserved; 1,671 specimens were link-reared with associated immature exuviae, all but 108 of which are slide mounted. This study identified 68 unique taxa belonging to 17 genera and 27 subgenera. Of these, 12 are new to science and 37 comprise new country records. DNA barcodes [658-bp of the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase ( COI ) I gene] are presented for 58 individuals representing 20 species and nine genera. DNA barcoding proved useful in uncovering and confirming new species and we advocate an integrated systematics approach to biodiversity studies in future. Associated bionomics of all species collected are discussed. An updated systematic checklist of the mosquitoes of Ecuador (n = 179) is presented for the first time in 60 years.