Influence of surface anesthesia on the pressure pain threshold measured with different-sized probes

Transcutaneous pressure with pressure probes of arbitrary diameters have been commonly used for measuring the threshold and magnitude of muscle pain, yet this procedure lacks scientific validation. To examine the valid probe dimensions, we conducted physiological experiments using 34 human subjects. Pin-prick pain, pressure pain threshold (PPT) to pressure probes of various diameters, heat pain threshold, and electrical pain threshold of deep tissues were measured before and after application of surface lidocaine anesthesia to the skin surface over the brachioradial muscle in a double-blinded manner. The anesthesia neither affected PPT with larger probes (diameters: 1.6 and 15?mm) nor increased electric pain threshold of deep structures, whereas it diminished pain count in pin-prick test and PPT with a 1.0?mm diameter probe, suggesting that mechanical pain thresholds measured with 1.6 and 15?mm probes reflect the pain threshold of deep tissues, possibly muscle. Pain thresholds to heat did not change after application of the anesthesia. These results suggest that larger pressure probes can give a better estimation of muscular pain threshold.     

SOUND PRODUCTION IN THE LARVAE OF GEOTRUPES SPINIGER (MARSHAM) (COLEOPTERA: GEOTRUPIDAE)

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on sound production in the larvae of Geotrupes spiniger (Marsham) (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae). A single stridulatory apparatus was identified and then analysed from a structural point of view. Sound was studied using spectography and results included a quantitative analysis with characterizing physical parameters. Results highlight the need to study stridulation in Geotrupidae more in detail, to improve our understanding of its evolutionary and biological meaning.     

Evaluation of three field test kits to detect microcystins from a public health perspective

Cyanobacteria blooms may present a public health concern in sources of drinking water and recreational water due to the production of toxins by some species, microcystins being the most commonly found. It is possible to detect microcystins using instrumental analyses and field test kits. While instrumental analysis methods are accurate, they are also costly, and in regions with a high incidence of blooms the time to report is lengthy (days). On the other hand, the use of commercially available test kits may provide quicker results at a lower cost. The purpose of this work was to evaluate three commercially available kits: the Immunochromatographic Strip Test for the Detection of Microcystins and Nodularins in Source Drinking Water at 1 μg/L (Abraxis strip test), the Abraxis Microcystin Tube Kit and the Envirologix QualiTube Kit. The evaluation of each kit focussed on the interpretation of the results by the end-user and the validity of a test kit was based on four indices: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive rate (PPR) and negative predictive rate (NPR) (false positive/negative) based on the manufacturer's specifications. The results indicate that there are challenges in the visual interpretation of the results at levels close to the threshold value for each kit. The scope of each kit must be understood: free vs. total, qualitative vs. semiquantitative. For instance, the Envirologix Qualitube Kit does not provide a lysing agent, therefore it will underestimate the levels of total microcystin if a lysing step is not included. In the case of the Abraxis strip test, the kit provides information on the absence/presence of microcystin at a threshold value of 1 μg/L, but false positives were encountered.     

Leukapheresis cell concentration adjustment required for a successful recovery of HSC after cryopreservation

The recovering of an adequate number of hematopoietic stem cells after cryopreservation is considered pivotal for successful transplantation. Various factors could influence the recovery of HSC following processing and cryopreservation. Therefore, leukapheresis product from thirty patients was cryopreserved in 10% DMSO in cryopreservation bags for their autologous bone marrow transplantation, and 2 ml were cryopreserved in cryovials for post-thaw viability assessment by flow cytometry. The percentage of viable HSCs recovered post-cryopreservation in leukapheresis product was significantly influenced by the concentration of the total nucleated cells cryopreserved per volume. Patients receiving a higher rate of viable HSCs resulted in earlier engraftment of both neutrophils and platelets, so they have been discharged earlier from the hospital. Furthermore, Storage temperature and duration played a role in the recovery of these cells and for the support of the findings, age of the patient at the time of collection did not show any impact on the recovery of this HSC post-cryopreservation. In conclusion, various influencing factors must be taken into consideration during the cryopreservation of HSCs, especially for poor mobilizing patients with a low number of collected hematopoietic stem cells.     

High congruence of intraspecific variability in floral scent and genetic patterns in Gentianella bohemica Skalický (Gentianaceae)

Gentianella bohemica Skalický (Gentianaceae) is a critically endangered species endemic to the Bohemian Massif in the border region of Germany, Czechia and Austria. It consists of a restricted number of extremely scattered populations which are known to form distinct genetic groups. The objective of this work was to test for differences in the floral scent between Gentianella bohemica and Gentianella germanica and within these two species among populations, and to test for a correlation of scent and genetic similarity among the populations of G. bohemica. Floral scent was collected from the inflorescences/plants of eight flowering populations of G. bohemica and three populations of G. germanica using dynamic headspace methods, followed by GC/MS analyses. Both species emitted several aromatic and terpenoid compounds and multivariate analyses revealed differences in scent between the two species and within species among G. bohemica populations. Volatile components overlapped as expected for closely related species but floral scent was taxon-specific. Floral scent differentiation among G. bohemica populations was in high congruence with the genetic differentiation suggesting that scent differences among populations have a genetic basis and showing that scent is a suitable chemotaxonomic marker in this species.     

Slow Delivery of the Selective Cholecystokinin Agonist pBC 264 into the Rat Nucleus Accumbens Using Microspheres

Abstract: Neuropeptides have been shown to play a critical role in adaptational processes, probably by long-term modulation of neuronal pathways. It could therefore be interesting to study behavioral changes induced by chronic local stimulation of neuropeptide receptors. With this aim poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres loaded with a highly potent, peptidase-resistant, cholecystokinin (CCK)-B-selective CCK peptidomimetic agonist (pBC 264) were prepared by a water in oil in water emulsion solvent evaporation method and stereotaxically implanted into the anterior part of the rat nucleus accumbens. Two different kinds of loaded polymeric microspheres differing only by the stabilizing agent [ovalbumin (OVA) or Pluronic F 68] added to the inner emulsion were used. The histological and behavioral studies done 24 h and 8 days after implantation of nonloaded microspheres in the nucleus accumbens indicated that the microspheres were well tolerated. The in vivo release of the selective CCK-B agonist pBC 264 (associated with a tracer dose of [³H]pBC 264) from microspheres prepared with OVA was very fast (92% after 6 h), whereas only 26% (88 pmol) of pBC 264 was released from the formulation with Pluronic F 68 after 24 h. Eight days after implantation 36% of pBC 264 had diffused from the microspheres, and 8% (∼30 pmol) was still present in the brain concentrated around the site of administration. In all cases the released material was found to correspond to intact pBC 264, thus demonstrating the possibility of obtaining a slow controlled release of peptide in vivo. This method opens up interesting perspectives to study the long-term effects of neuropeptides.     

Testing the Equality of Dependent Variances

The likelihood ratio test for testing equality of vgE;2 correlated variables is developed. In general, evaluation of the test statistic involves the iterative optimization of a likelihood function with 1 + v(v – 1)/2 parameters. The explicit form of the test statistic is derived in the bivariate case, and an iterative algorithm for determining the maximum likelihood estimates is suggested. A limited Monte Carlo study determines the behavior of the proposed procedure under the null hypothesis and variety of parameter values.     

distruct: a program for the graphical display of population structure

In analysis of multilocus genotypes from structured populations, individual coefficients of membership in subpopulations are often estimated using programs such as structure . distruct provides a general method for visualizing these estimated membership coefficients. Subpopulations are represented as colours, and individuals are depicted as bars partitioned into coloured segments that correspond to membership coefficients in the subgroups. distruct , available at http://www.cmb.usc.edu/~noahr/distruct.html , can also be used to display subpopulation assignment probabilities when individuals are assumed to have ancestry in only one group.