Factors influencing in vitro infectivity and growth of Rickettsia peacockii (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), an endosymbiont of the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni (Acari, Ixodidae)

Rickettsia peacockii, a spotted fever group rickettsia, is a transovarially transmitted endosymbiont of Rocky Mountain wood ticks, Dermacentor andersoni. This rickettsia, formerly known as the East Side Agent and restricted to female ticks, was detected in a chronically infected embryonic cell line, DAE100, from D. andersoni. We examined infectivity, ability to induce cytopathic effect (CPE) and host cell specificity of R. peacockii using cultured arthropod and mammalian cells. Aposymbiotic DAE100 cells were obtained using oxytetracycline or incubation at 37 degrees C. Uninfected DAE100 sublines grew faster than the parent line, indicating R. peacockii regulation of host cell growth. Nevertheless, DAE100 cellular defenses exerted partial control over R. peacockii growth. Rickettsiae existed free in the cytosol of DAE100 cells or within autophagolysosomes. Exocytosed rickettsiae accumulated in the medium and were occasionally contained within host membranes. R. peacockii multiplied in other cell lines from the hard ticks D. andersoni, Dermacentor albipictus, Ixodes scapularis, and Ixodes ricinus; the soft tick Carios capensis; and the lepidopteran Trichoplusia ni. Lines from the tick Amblyomma americanum, the mosquito Aedes albopictus, and two mammalian cell lines were non-permissive to R. peacockii. High cell densities facilitated rickettsial spread within permissive cell cultures, and an inoculum of one infected to nine uninfected cells resulted in the greatest yield of infected tick cells. Cell-free R. peacockii also were infectious for tick cells and centrifugation onto cell layers enhanced infectivity approximately 100-fold. The ability of R. peacockii to cause mild CPE suggests that its pathogenicity is not completely muted. An analysis of R. peacockii-cell interactions in comparison to pathogenic rickettsiae will provide insights into host cell colonization mechanisms.     

The role of subcellular organelles in hormone secretion : The interactions of calcium, vitamin A, vinblastine, and cytochalasin B in PTH secretion

To determine the role of subcellular organelles in hormone secretion, we studied the interaction of low calcium concentration (low Ca), retinol (vitamin A, vit A), vinblastine (VB), and cytochalasin B (CB) in parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. Bovine parathyroid tissue pieces were incubated in media containing the above agents. Vit A stimulated PTH release to a mean of 170% of control. This effect of vit A was diminished when tissues were simultaneously stimulated with low Ca and, furthermore, absent when tissues were pre-incubated in low Ca.VB had no effect on low Ca-stimulated secretion, but did inhibit vit A-induced secretion in the presence of low Ca.CB stimulated PTH secretion to a mean of 150% of control during the second and third hours of incubation. CB had at least an additive effect with low Ca in stimulating PTH secretion, with a more prompt and greater response than seen in normal calcium. VB did not inhibit the acute effect of CB on secretion in normal calcium media, but did inhibit CB-induced secretion during the third hour of incubation.None of the agents stimulated the release of lysosomal cathepsin D, and vit A and CB did not stimulate the release of LDH.Our results suggest that; (1) vit A and low Ca stimulate PTH secretion through a common pathway involving the cell membrane; (2) CB stimulates PTH secretion through a separate effect on the cell membrane or submembrane microfilaments, which normally retards secretion of PTH; and (3) microtubular proteins may facilitate basal secretion of PTH, but are not involved in low Ca-stimulated secretion of PTH.     

Auditory anatomy of beaked whales and other odontocetes: Potential for cochlear stimulation via a “vibroacoustic duct mechanism”

Computed tomography (CT) and microcomputed tomography (microCT) were used to examine the structures involved in cochlear stimulation in odontocetes and terrestrial mammals. Cranial CT examined the osseous attachment of the skull to the tympanoperiotic complex (TPC) and the path of the endocranial foramen of the vestibulocochlear nerve (EFVN), which was assumed to contain the perilymphatic duct. Additional CTs of TPC were taken postextraction to examine the gross morphology of this structure. MicroCT was used to examine the acoustic windows of the cochlea, including the round and oval windows and the apertures of the cochlear and vestibular aqueducts. Cranial CT scans demonstrated an osseous connection between the skull and TPC in beaked whales and Physeter macrocephalus. EFVN traveled through a greater length of cranial bone and communicated more closely with the periotic bone in beaked whales than in other species. Ziphius cavirostris was observed to have a reduced medial sulcus of the mallear ridge (MSMR) and tympanic plate and an enlarged aperture of the cochlear aqueduct, respectively. The potential significance of these findings, including the role of the perilymphatic duct as a novel route of cochlear stimulation referred to as the “vibroacoustic duct mechanism,” are discussed.     

Identification of quantitative trait loci for shank length and growth at different development stages in chicken

Shank length affects chicken leg health and longer shanks are a source of leg problems in heavy-bodied chickens. Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting shank length traits may be of value to genetic improvement of these traits in chickens. A genome scan was conducted on 238 F₂ chickens from a reciprocal cross between the Silky Fowl and the White Plymouth Rock breeds using 125 microsatellite markers to detect static and developmental QTL affecting weekly shank length and growth (from 1 to 12 weeks) in chickens. Static QTL affected shank length from birth to time t , while developmental QTL affected shank growth from time t− 1 to time t . Seven static QTL on six chromosomes (GGA2, GGA3, GGA4, GGA7, GGA9 and GGA23) were detected at ages of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 12 weeks, and six developmental QTL on five chromosomes (GGA1, GGA2, GGA4, GGA5 and GGA23) were detected for five shank growth periods, weeks 2–3, 4–5, 5–6, 10–11 and 11–12. A static QTL and a developmental QTL ( SQSL1 and DQSL2 ) were identified at GGA2 (between ADL0190 and ADL0152 ). SQSL1 explained 2.87–5.30% of the phenotypic variation in shank length from 3 to 7 weeks. DQSL2 explained 2.70% of the phenotypic variance of shank growth between 2 and 3 weeks. Two static and two developmental QTL were involved chromosome 4 and chromosome 23. Two chromosomes (GGA7 and GGA9) had static QTL but no developmental QTL and another two chromosomes (GGA1 and GGA5) had developmental QTL but no static QTL. The results of this study show that shank length and shank growth at different developmental stages involve different QTL.     

植物保护剂防治害虫效果的评价方法

在以作用因子组建的生命表和干扰作用控制指数(IIPC)的基础上建立植物保护剂的研究方法和综合评价指标,以表示驱避成虫选择寄主,干扰成虫的产卵行为,对卵孵化的影响,以及干扰幼虫的行为,包括逃避、拒食、幼虫特别是初孵幼虫中毒死亡的作用.采用所建立的研究方法和评价指标的试验结果表明,菜田附近大多数非寄主植物的乙醇抽提物(干重1g·100ml^-1)如大叶桉(Eucalytus rubusta)、蟛蜞菊(Wedelia chinensis)等对保护十字花科蔬菜免受小菜蛾为害起着明显的作用.印楝油对小菜蛾幼虫的防治效果相当显著.机油乳剂(CAL TEX产品)对桔全爪螨具有明显的控制效果.     

Whole-genome scan for guttural pouch tympany in Arabian and German warmblood horses

Equine guttural pouch tympany (GPT) is a hereditary disease in foals of several breeds, including thoroughbreds, Arabian, Quarter and warmblood horses. We performed a whole-genome scan for GPT in 143 horses from five Arabian and five German warmblood families and genotyped 257 microsatellites. Chromosome-wide significant linkage was detected on ECA2 and ECA15 using multipoint non-parametric linkage analyses. Analyses stratified by sex revealed chromosome-wide significant linkage on ECA2 for fillies and chromosome-wide significant linkage on ECA15 for colts. For Arabian colts, the quantitative trait locus (QTL) on ECA15 was genome-wide significant. Haplotypes including two to four microsatellites within the QTL on ECA2 and 15 in fillies and colts, respectively, were significantly associated with GPT for both breeds. Thus, our analysis indicated sex-specific QTL, a fact which is in agreement with a two- to fourfold higher incidence of GPT in females. This is the first report of QTL for equine GPT and a first step towards identifying genes responsible for GPT.     

Apports de l’acquisition TDM couplée à la scintigraphie pulmonaire dans l’exploration d’une suspicion d’embolie pulmonaire

Pulmonary embolism is a frequent disease difficult to diagnose because of heterogeneous clinical presentation. Pulmonary embolism diagnosis requires additional examinations, which are guided by clinical probability scores. The ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy is a validated technic in pulmonary embolism diagnosis strategies, which represents one of its most important indications. In the past years, the technique of scintigraphy evolved with the appearance of hybrid cameras, allowing the realization of tomoscintigraphy coupled with computerised tomodensitometry (CT). One of the major interests of this technique is the possibility of considering alternative diagnosis in case of negative result of scintigraphy. The purpose of this article is to offer nuclear medicine physicians a review of the alternative diagnoses that can be found during pulmonary ventilation/perfusion tomoscintigraphy according to the underlying scintigraphic and morphological abnormalities. In this review, we will first on diseases responsible for: a mismatch (pathological perfusion and normal ventilation), an inverted mismatch (normal perfusion and pathological ventilation) and for associated disorders in ventilation and in perfusion patterns (identically abnormal perfusion and ventilation). The final part will address some specific CT features that can be encountered on a low dose CT centered on thorax.