Ecological drivers of body size evolution and sexual size dimorphism in short-horned grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae).

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread and variable in nature. Although female-biased SSD predominates among insects, the proximate ecological and evolutionary factors promoting this phenomenon remain largely unstudied. Here, we employ modern phylogenetic comparative methods on eight subfamilies of Iberian grasshoppers (85 species) to examine the validity of different models of evolution of body size and SSD and explore how they are shaped by a suite of ecological variables (habitat specialization, substrate use, altitude) and/or constrained by different evolutionary pressures (female fecundity, strength of sexual selection, length of the breeding season). Body size disparity primarily accumulated late in the history of the group and did not follow a Brownian motion pattern, indicating the existence of directional evolution for this trait. We found support for the converse of Rensch's rule (i.e. females are proportionally bigger than males in large species) across all taxa but not within the two most speciose subfamilies (Gomphocerinae and Oedipodinae), which showed an isometric pattern. Our results do not provide support for the fecundity or sexual selection hypotheses, and we did not find evidence for significant effects of habitat use. Contrary to that expected, we found that species with narrower reproductive window are less dimorphic in size than those that exhibit a longer breeding cycle, suggesting that male protandry cannot solely account for the evolution of female-biased SSD in Orthoptera. Our study highlights the need to consider alternatives to the classical evolutionary hypotheses when trying to explain why in certain insect groups males remain small.

The role of environment and core-margin effects on range-wide phenotypic variation in a montane grasshopper.

The integration of genetic information with ecological and phenotypic data constitutes an effective approach to gain insight into the mechanisms determining interpopulation variability and the evolutionary processes underlying local adaptation and incipient speciation. Here, we use the Pyrenean Morales grasshopper (Chorthippus saulcyi moralesi) as study system to (i) analyse the relative role of genetic drift and selection in range-wide patterns of phenotypic differentiation and (ii) identify the potential selective agents (environment, elevation) responsible for variation. We also test the hypothesis that (iii) the development of dispersal-related traits is associated with different parameters related to population persistence/turnover, including habitat suitability stability over the last 120 000 years, distance to the species distribution core and population genetic variability. Our results indicate that selection shaped phenotypic differentiation across all the studied morphological traits (body size, forewing length and shape). Subsequent analyses revealed that among-population differentiation in forewing length was significantly explained by a temperature gradient, suggesting an adaptive response to thermoregulation or flight performance under contrasting temperature regimes. We found support for our hypothesis predicting a positive association between the distance to the species distribution core and the development of dispersal-related morphology, which suggests an increased dispersal capability in populations located at range edges that, in turn, exhibit lower levels of genetic variability. Overall, our results indicate that range-wide patterns of phenotypic variation are partially explained by adaptation in response to local environmental conditions and differences in habitat persistence between core and peripheral populations.

The influence of landscape configuration and environment on population genetic structure in a sedentary passerine: insights from loci located in different genomic regions.

The study of the factors structuring genetic variation can help to infer the neutral and adaptive processes shaping the demographic and evolutionary trajectories of natural populations. Here, we analyse the role of isolation by distance (IBD), isolation by resistance (IBR, defined by landscape composition) and isolation by environment (IBE, estimated as habitat and elevation dissimilarity) in structuring genetic variation in 25 blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations. We typed 1385 individuals at 26 microsatellite loci classified into two groups by considering whether they are located into genomic regions that are actively (TL; 12 loci) or not (NTL; 14 loci) transcribed to RNA. Population genetic differentiation was mostly detected using the panel of NTL. Landscape genetic analyses showed a pattern of IBD for all loci and the panel of NTL, but genetic differentiation estimated at TL was only explained by IBR models considering high resistance for natural vegetation and low resistance for agricultural lands. Finally, the absence for IBE suggests a lack of divergent selection pressures associated with differences in habitat and elevation. Overall, our study shows that markers located in different genomic regions can yield contrasting inferences on landscape-level patterns of realized gene flow in natural populations.

Heterozygosity at a single locus explains a large proportion of variation in two fitness-related traits in great tits: a general or a local effect?

In natural populations, mating between relatives can have important fitness consequences due to the negative effects of reduced heterozygosity. Parental level of inbreeding or heterozygosity has been also found to influence the performance of offspring, via direct and indirect parental effects that are independent of the progeny own level of genetic diversity. In this study, we first analysed the effects of parental heterozygosity and relatedness (i.e. an estimate of offspring genetic diversity) on four traits related to offspring viability in great tits (Parus major) using 15 microsatellite markers. Second, we tested whether significant heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) were due to 'local' (i.e. linkage to genes influencing fitness) and/or 'general' (genome-wide heterozygosity) effects. We found a significant negative relationship between parental genetic relatedness and hatching success, and maternal heterozygosity was positively associated with offspring body size. The characteristics of the studied populations (recent admixture, polygynous matings) together with the fact that we found evidence for identity disequilibrium across our set of neutral markers suggest that HFCs may have resulted from genome-wide inbreeding depression. However, one locus (Ase18) had disproportionately large effects on the observed HFCs: heterozygosity at this locus had significant positive effects on hatching success and offspring size. It suggests that this marker may lie near to a functional locus under selection (i.e. a local effect) or, alternatively, heterozygosity at this locus might be correlated to heterozygosity across the genome due to the extensive ID found in our populations (i.e. a general effect). Collectively, our results lend support to both the general and local effect hypotheses and reinforce the view that HFCs lie on a continuum from inbreeding depression to those strictly due to linkage between marker loci and genes under selection.

Individual genetic diversity and probability of infection by avian malaria parasites in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus).

Understanding the importance of host genetic diversity for coping with parasites and infectious diseases is a long-standing goal in evolutionary biology. Here, we study the association between probability of infection by avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) and individual genetic diversity in three blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations that strongly differ in prevalence of this parasite. For this purpose, we screened avian malaria infections and genotyped 789 blue tits across 26 microsatellite markers. We used two different arrays of markers: 14 loci classified as neutral and 12 loci classified as putatively functional. We found a significant relationship between probability of infection and host genetic diversity estimated at the subset of neutral markers that was not explained by strong local effects and did not differ among the studied populations. This relationship was not linear, and probability of infection increased up to values of homozygosity by locus (HL) around 0.15, reached a plateau at values of HL from 0.15 to 0.40 and finally declined among a small proportion of highly homozygous individuals (HL > 0.4). We did not find evidence for significant identity disequilibrium, which may have resulted from a low variance of inbreeding in the study populations and/or the small power of our set of markers to detect it. A combination of subtle positive and negative local effects and/or a saturation threshold in the association between probability of infection and host genetic diversity in combination with increased resistance to parasites in highly homozygous individuals may explain the observed negative quadratic relationship. Overall, our study highlights that parasites play an important role in shaping host genetic variation and suggests that the use of large sets of neutral markers may be more appropriate for the study of heterozygosity-fitness correlations.

The role of immigration and local adaptation on fine-scale genotypic and phenotypic population divergence in a less mobile passerine.

Dispersal and local patterns of adaptation play a major role on the ecological and evolutionary trajectory of natural populations. In this study, we employ a combination of genetic (25 microsatellite markers) and field-based information (seven study years) to analyse the impact of immigration and local patterns of adaptation in two nearby (<7 km) blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations. We used genetic assignment analyses to identify immigrant individuals and found that dispersal rate is female-biased (72%). Data on lifetime reproductive success indicated that immigrant females produced fewer local recruits than their philopatric counterparts whereas immigrant males recruited more offspring than those that remained in their natal location. In spite of the considerably higher immigration rates of females, our results indicate that, in absolute terms, their demographic and genetic impact in the receiving populations is lower than that in immigrant males. Immigrants often brought novel alleles into the studied populations and a high proportion of them were transmitted to their recruits, indicating that the genetic impact of immigrants is not ephemeral. Although only a few kilometres apart, the two study populations were genetically differentiated and showed strong divergence in different phenotypic and life-history traits. An almost absent inter-population dispersal, together with the fact that both populations receive immigrants from different source populations, is probably the main cause of the observed pattern of genetic differentiation. However, phenotypic differentiation (PST) for all the studied traits greatly exceeded neutral genetic differentiation (FST), indicating that divergent natural selection is the prevailing factor determining the evolutionary trajectory of these populations. Our study highlights the importance of integrating individual- and population-based approaches to obtain a comprehensive view about the role of dispersal and natural selection on structuring the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of natural populations.

[Recommendations and management of type I hereditary or hepatorenal tyrosinemia]. / Recomendaciones y manejo de la tirosinemia hereditaria Tipo I o Tirosinemia hepatorrenal.

Tyrosinemia type I is a potentially lethal disease if not diagnosed and treated properly. Diagnostic and therapeutic advances in recent years have significantly improved the prognosis for these patients. It is therefore important that the pediatrician has a clinical practice guideline with recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of this disease that leads to the appropriate intervention.

American ginseng and breast cancer therapeutic agents synergistically inhibit MCF-7 breast cancer cell growth.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) purportedly alleviates menopause symptoms because of putative estrogenicity. METHODS: Using a standardized American ginseng (AG) extract in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, the objectives were to evaluate the ability of AG to induce the estrogen- regulated gene pS2 by Northern blot analysis, determine the effect on cell growth using the MTT assay, and evaluate the cell cycle effects by flow cytometry. RESULTS: AG and estradiol equivalently induced RNA expression of pS2. AG, in contrast to estradiol, caused a dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation (P < 0.005). AG had no adverse effect on the cell cycle while estradiol significantly increased the proliferative phase (percent S-phase) and decreased the resting phase (G(0)-G(1) phase) (P < 0.005). Concurrent use of AG and breast cancer therapeutic agents resulted in a significant (P < 0.005) suppression of cell growth for most drugs evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: In vitro use of AG and breast cancer therapeutics synergistically inhibited cancer cell growth.

Lymphatic system of the rat pancreas.

Light and electron microscopy combined with morphometric analysis were used to investigate the distribution, extent and structure of lymphatic vessels in the head, body and tail of the rat pancreas. Serial sections 3-4 microns in thickness were cut from tissue fixed by perfusion. Alternate sections were processed for light microscopy. Intervening sections were left uncovered to be re-embedded and sectioned for electron microscopy as needed. Vessels with valves were tentatively identified as lymphatics using the light microscope, with final identification being made on adjacent sections by electron microscopy. The ultrastructure of the pancreatic lymphatic vessels was typical of lymphatics generally. Interlobular lymphatic vessels were present throughout the pancreas and were found to be associated primarily with blood vessels lying in connective tissue septa. Intralobular lymphatics were also seen but were comparatively rare. Only about 19% of the wall of the lymphatic system of the pancreas was in close relationship to acinar cells--none was closely related to the endocrine islets. The mean volume density of the system was 0.0012 microns3/microns3 and the profile density of lymphatics was 3.24/mm2. Special attention was paid to the areas of contact between adjacent endothelial cells. Open gaps of more than 30 nm in width were rare. Dilatations and associated cytoplasmic processes, suggestive of a type of intercellular transport, were seen in addition to the intracellular cytoplasmic vesicular system. The findings are consistent with the view that the lymphatic system of the pancreas does not have a specific role in the transport of pancreatic secretions other than the removal of macromolecules that may escape to the interstitium in small amounts under normal circumstances. The fine structure of the endothelial wall suggests that the mechanism of lymph formation in the pancreas is more comparable to that in other encapsulated organs such as the kidney and liver than to that in the dermis or diaphragm where fluid appears to enter lymphatics primarily by way of gaps between adjacent cells.

Seguimiento de un grupo de mujeres que utilizan el dispositivo intrauterino como método de planificación familiar en profamilia: 1988-1992 / Iud use as contraceptive method

En el estudio se hizo un seguimiento de cuatro años cuatro meses de un grupo de mujeres que asistieron a PROFAMILIA (Santafé de Bogotá D.C.), en Enero de 1988 para colocarles el DIU. Se estudió la eficacia y complicaciones del dispositivo intrauterino, como método de planificación y se tuvieron en cuenta variables como edad, escolaridad, citologías con su respectivo soporte, quien lo aplicó, número de controles, tiempo de uso del dispositivo y causas más frecuentes de retiro. Del total de 239 historias clínicas revisadas, se encontró que 5 mujeres quedaron embarazadas con el DIU, obteniéndose una eficacia del 97.8 por ciento, lo cual corresponde con la literatura revisada, 12 pacientes fueron perdidas del estudio, la mayoría por cambio de domicilio. El grupo de edad que con mayor frecuencia utilizó el DIU, fué de 21 a 29 años con 51.4 por ciento igualmente las multíparas con un 57.3 por ciento. La principal causa del retiro fué el deseo de embarazo. No se encontró diferencia importante en cuanto a la falla del DIU relacionada con el tiempo de utilización. El efecto secundario más frecuente fué enfermedad pélvica inflamatoria, diferente a lo que se encuentra en la bibliografía, la cual reporta al sangrado como el principal efecto secundario

Lymphatic valves of the rat pancreas.

The detailed structure of pancreatic lymphatic valves in rats was examined in an attempt to identify ultrastructural features that could be correlated with the ability of these delicate structures to withstand retrograde flow. Sprague-Dawley rats were perfusion-fixed and the pancreas processed for light and electron microscopy. Lymphatic vessels were identified by their typical appearance coupled with the presence of valves within their lumen. These valves were consistently formed of cuspid leaflets joined to the lymphatic wall at the bases and sides enclosing valvular pockets or sinuses between cusp and wall. Each cusp or leaflet consisted of two simple squamous endothelial layers separated by a connective tissue core and thus appeared, at first sight, as a simple infolding of the lymphatic vessel lining with its underlying connective tissue. However, certain differences were seen. Frequently the free margins of the cusps, instead of being smooth as might be expected, exhibited endothelial extensions or processes which were arranged in such a way that they could interdigitate with similar extensions on the opposing cusps and thus aid in closure of the valves. A striking difference between the endothelial lining of the vessel and that of the cusp was the presence of a distinct and almost continuous basal lamina underlying the endothelial cells which lined the surface of the cusp facing the valve pocket. The opposing surface of the cusp, which faced the central lumen was similar to the typical lining of lymphatics in showing little or no basal lamina.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)