Vascular supply of the anterior interventricular epicardial nerves and ventricular Purkinje fibers in the porcine hearts

The aim of this study was to perform a pilot histological and quantitative analysis of the blood vessels accompanying the epicardial nerves (vasa nervorum) in the porcine hearts. Twenty healthy porcine hearts were used in this study. The blood vessels were analyzed by light microscopy using four different staining techniques in transverse sections taken from the upper, middle, and lower segments of the anterior part of the interventricular region and the adjacent parts of the right and left ventricles containing epicardial nerves and the endocardial peripheral parts of the Purkinje fibers. In total, 317 epicardial nerves were detected. The vasa nervorum were present in 75.7% of these nerves. The vasa nervorum resembled arterioles and postcapillary and collecting venules. One hundred and forty nine epicardial nerves were perivascular, located in the adventitia of the anterior interventricular artery and vein. The remaining 168 nerves ran freely through the epicardial interstitium. The presence of the vasa nervorum was not related to topographical location or nerve diameter. Additionally, from a total of 33 analyzed ventricular complexes of Purkinje fibers small blood vessels located in their proximity were identified in only two cases. It can be concluded that the majority of the anterior epicardial nerves of porcine heart possess well-developed vasa nervorum. In contrast, similar blood vessels are rarely present in the vicinity of the Purkinje fibers. The data obtained contribute to a better understanding of the nutrition of the cardiac nerves.     

Patterning during pupal commitment of the epidermis in the butterfly, Precis coenia: the role of intercellular communication

The commitment of cells to pupal development in the larvae of holometabolous insects can be prevented by treatment with juvenile hormone (JH) or a JH mimic during a critical period early in the last larval instar. By treating larvae of different ages with a JH mimic, pupal commitment of the epidermis of the butterfly, Precis coenia, was found to occur in a strict temporal and spatial progression, which was serially homologous and occurred independently in each segment. The mechanism underlying this sequence of pupal commitment was examined by cauterizing regions of the epidermis to observe the effects of local ablation on the pattern of pupal commitment revealed by treatment with the JH mimic. Cautery of the segmental site of origin of pupal commitment, the dorsal midline, suppressed pupal commitment in the rest of the operated segment, indicating that the midline has a special effect on commitment of the rest of the segment. Cautery off the midline produced asymmetries in the pattern of pupal commitment; when placed close to the midline, such cauteries prevented pupal commitment in the region "downstream" of the cautery, suggesting that a signal (diffusible or transducible) emanates from the midline. Finally, cautery of a circle around the midline inhibited pupal commitment only outside the circle, showing that cautery could act as a barrier to the passage of a signal coming from the midline. These results suggest that inductive as well as hormonal signals are involved in the regulation of pupal commitment in the epidermis of the lepidopteran, P. coenia.     

Molecular characterization of β-thalassemia in Czechoslovakia

Summary We have identified different -thalassemia mutations in 93 members of 34 families of Czech or Slovakian descent using gene amplification, hybridization with specific ³²P-labeled oligonucleotide probes, sequencing of amplified DNA, and gene mapping. The GA mutation at IVS-I-1 was found in 18 families; other Mediterranean mutations were IVS-II-1 (GA), IVS-II-745 (CG), IVS-I-110 (GA), and codon 39 (CT); these were present in 9 additional families. The GT mutation at codon 121, known to cause Heinzbody -thalassemia, was present in 3 families, and the frameshift at codons 82/83 (-G), first described in the Azerbaijanian population, in 2 families. A newly discovered allele was a frameshift at codons 38/39 (-C). One -thalassemia allele was incompletely characterized. We observed in 2 families a TC mutation at position +96 UTR (untranslated region) relative to the termination codon; this mutation likely is a rare polymorphism, -Thalassemia was rare; only one person carried the -^3.7 heterozygosity, and one other had a yet to be identified -thalassemia-1, while seven had the ^{anti 3.7} triplication.     

The effectiveness of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control,pollination services and crop yield: a quantitative synthesis

Floral plantings are promoted to foster ecological intensification of agriculture through provisioning of ecosystem services. However, a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of different floral plantings, their characteristics and consequences for crop yield is lacking. Here we quantified the impacts of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control (18 studies) and pollination services (17 studies) in adjacent crops in North America, Europe and New Zealand. Flower strips, but not hedgerows, enhanced pest control services in adjacent fields by 16% on average. However, effects on crop pollination and yield were more variable. Our synthesis identifies several important drivers of variability in effectiveness of plantings: pollination services declined exponentially with distance from plantings, and perennial and older flower strips with higher flowering plant diversity enhanced pollination more effectively. These findings provide promising pathways to optimise floral plantings to more effectively contribute to ecosystem service delivery and ecological intensification of agriculture in the future.     

The Mantel-Haenszel Procedure Revisited: Models and Generalizations

Several statistical methods have been developed for adjusting the Odds Ratio of the relation between two dichotomous variables X and Y for some confounders Z. With the exception of the Mantel-Haenszel method, commonly used methods, notably binary logistic regression, are not symmetrical in X and Y. The classical Mantel-Haenszel method however only works for confounders with a limited number of discrete strata, which limits its utility, and appears to have no basis in statistical models. Here we revisit the Mantel-Haenszel method and propose an extension to continuous and vector valued Z. The idea is to replace the observed cell entries in strata of the Mantel-Haenszel procedure by subject specific classification probabilities for the four possible values of (X,Y) predicted by a suitable statistical model. For situations where X and Y can be treated symmetrically we propose and explore the multinomial logistic model. Under the homogeneity hypothesis, which states that the odds ratio does not depend on Z, the logarithm of the odds ratio estimator can be expressed as a simple linear combination of three parameters of this model. Methods for testing the homogeneity hypothesis are proposed. The relationship between this method and binary logistic regression is explored. A numerical example using survey data is presented.     

Urban land use limits regional bumble bee gene flow

Potential declines in native pollinator communities and increased reliance on pollinator‐dependent crops have raised concerns about native pollinator conservation and dispersal across human‐altered landscapes. Bumble bees are one of the most effective native pollinators and are often the first to be extirpated in human‐altered habitats, yet little is known about how bumble bees move across fine spatial scales and what landscapes promote or limit their gene flow. In this study, we examine regional genetic differentiation and fine‐scale relatedness patterns of the yellow‐faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, to investigate how current and historic habitat composition impact gene flow. We conducted our study across a landscape mosaic of natural, agricultural and urban/suburban habitats, and we show that B. vosnesenskii exhibits low but significant levels of differentiation across the study system (F_ST = 0.019, D_est = 0.049). Most importantly, we reveal significant relationships between pairwise F_ST and resistance models created from contemporary land use maps. Specifically, B. vosnesenskii gene flow is most limited by commercial, industrial and transportation‐related impervious cover. Finally, our fine‐scale analysis reveals significant but declining relatedness between individuals at the 1–9 km spatial scale, most likely due to local queen dispersal. Overall, our results indicate that B. vosnesenskii exhibits considerable local dispersal and that regional gene flow is significantly limited by impervious cover associated with urbanization.     

Pharmacogenetic evidence that cd36 is a key determinant of the metabolic effects of pioglitazone

Pioglitazone, like other thiazolidinediones, is an insulin-sensitizing agent that activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and influences the expression of multiple genes involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. However, it is unknown which of these many target genes play primary roles in determining the antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effects of thiazolidinediones. To specifically investigate the role of the Cd36 fatty acid transporter gene in the insulin-sensitizing actions of thiazolidinediones, we studied the metabolic effects of pioglitazone in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) that harbor a deletion mutation in Cd36 in comparison to congenic and transgenic strains of SHR that express wild-type Cd36. In congenic and transgenic SHR with wild-type Cd36, administration of pioglitazone was associated with significantly lower circulating levels of fatty acids, triglycerides, and insulin as well as lower hepatic triglyceride levels and epididymal fat pad weights than in SHR harboring mutant Cd36. Additionally, insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation in isolated soleus muscle was significantly augmented in pioglitazone-fed rats with wild-type Cd36 versus those with mutant Cd36. The Cd36 genotype had no effect on pioglitazone-induced changes in blood pressure. These findings provide direct pharmacogenetic evidence that in the SHR model, Cd36 is a key determinant of the insulin-sensitizing actions of a thiazolidinedione ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.