Comparative phylogeography of six herpetofauna species in Cyprus: late Miocene to Pleistocene colonization routes

The colonization patterns of oceanic islands are often interpreted through transmarine dispersal. However, in islands with intense human activities and unclear geological history, this inference may be inappropriate. Cyprus is such an island, whose geotectonic evolution has not been clarified yet to the desired level for biogeographical reconstructions, leaving the questions of ‘how the Cypriote biota arrived’ and ‘does the dispersal have the formative role in patterns of its diversification’ unanswered. Here, we address these issues through a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of six herptiles (Ablepharus budaki, Ophisops elegans, Acanthodactylus schreiberi, Telescopus fallax, Pelophylax cf. bedriagae, and Hyla savignyi) by means of mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b and 16S rRNA), applying a Bayesian phylogenetic, biogeographical, and chronophylogenetic analyses. The phylogeographical analyses show that the colonization history of those species in Cyprus started in the late Miocene and extended into the Pliocene and Pleistocene, with geodispersal, transmarine dispersal, and human‐mediated dispersal having their share in shaping the diversification of Cypriote herptiles. The revealed patterns could be divided into three biogeographical categories: old colonizers that arrived in Cyprus during the late Miocene or early Pliocene either by a land bridge (geodispersal) which connected Cyprus with the mainland or by transmarine dispersal, younger colonizers that reached the island through transmarine dispersal from the Middle East, and new settlers that arrived through human‐induced (voluntary or not) introductions. This work advances our knowledge of the biogeography of Cyprus and highlights the need to consider both geo‐ and transmarine dispersal when dealing with islands whose associations do not have a straightforward interpretation. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London     

Differential Expression of CRH,UCN, CRHR1 and CRHR2 in Eutopic and Ectopic Endometrium of Women with Endometriosis

Endometriosis is considered as a benign aseptic inflammatory disease, characterised by the presence of ectopic endometrium-like tissue. Its symptoms (mostly pain and infertility) are reported as constant stressors. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortin (UCN) are neuropeptides, strongly related to stress and inflammation. The effects of CRH and UCN are mediated through CRHR1 and CRHR2 receptors which are implicated in several reproductive functions acting as inflammatory components. However, the involvement of these molecules to endometriosis remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of CRHR1 and CRHR2 in endometriotic sites and to compare the expression of CRHR1 and CRHR2 in eutopic endometrium of endometriotic women to that of healthy women. We further compared the expression of CRH, UCN, CRHR1 and CRHR2 in ectopic endometrium to that in eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis. Endometrial biopsy specimens were taken from healthy women (10 patients) and endometrial and endometriotic biopsy specimens were taken from women with endometriosis (16 patients). Τhe expression of CRH, UCN, CRHR1, and CRHR2 was tested via RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. This study shows for the first time that CRH and UCN receptor subtypes CRHR1β and CRHR2α are expressed in endometriotic sites and that they are more strongly expressed (p<0.01) in eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis compared to healthy women endometrium at the mRNA and protein level. CRH, UCN, CRHR1 and CRHR2 mRNA were also more highly expressed in ectopic rather than eutopic endometrium (CRH, UCN, CRHR2α: p<0.01, CRHR1β: p<0.05) and protein (CRH and UCN: p<0.05, CRHR1 and CRHR2: p<0.01) in women with endometriosis. These data indicate that CRH and UCN might play an immunoregulatory role in endometriotic sites by affecting reproductive functions such as decidualization and implantation of women with endometriosis.     

Adiposity,blood pressure,and carotid intima‐media thickness in greek adolescents

Objective:

In children and adolescents with cardiovascular risk factors, the assessment of subclinical target‐organ damage is of paramount importance. This study investigated factors associated with carotid intima‐media thickness (cIMT) in adolescents.

Design and Methods:

A cross‐sectional study was performed in 448 apparently healthy adolescents recruited from schools (mean age 14 ± 2.2 years, 211 boys), which involved cIMT measurements (common carotid artery) and assessment of lipid profile, glucose, and blood pressure (BP).

Results:

The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 28.1%/12.7% and of BP ≥95th percentile 19.6%. Left cIMT was correlated with age (r = 0.10), waist circumference (WC) (0.15), and BP (0.21/0.13, systolic/diastolic) (all P < 0.05). Right cIMT was correlated with waist to hip ratio (WHR) (0.10), whereas the mean of left and right cIMT was correlated with WC (0.12), WHR (0.12), and systolic BP (0.14) (all P < 0.05). After the age of 13 years, boys tended to have higher cIMT than girls, which was significant in the 13‐15 years subgroup (P < 0.05). In stepwise multivariate analysis (independent variables: age, gender, WC, WHR, body mass index z‐score, lipid parameters, glucose, BP), left cIMT was independently associated with systolic BP; right cIMT with WHR; mean left and right cIMT with WC. Adolescents with BP ≥90th percentile had higher left cIMT than those <90th percentile (0.63 ± 0.09 vs. 0.61 ± 0.09 mm respectively, P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Central adiposity and systolic BP appear to be independently associated with increased cIMT values in apparently healthy adolescents. Left side cIMT appears to be superior to right side measurements in terms of association with cardiovascular risk factors.     

Phototropins and Their LOV Domains：Versatile Plant Blue-Light Receptors

The phototropins phot1 and phot2 are plant blue-light receptors that mediate phototropism, chloroplast movements, stomatal opening, leaf expansion, the rapid Inhibition of hypocotyl growth in etiolated seedlings, and possibly solar tracking by leaves in those species in which It occurs. The phototroplns are plasma membrane-associated hydrophilic proteins with two chromophore domains （designated LOV1 and LOV2 for their resemblance to domains In other signaling proteins that detect light, oxygen, or voltage） in their Nterminal half and a classic serine/threonlne kinase domain in their C-terminal half. Both chromophore domains bind flavin mononucleotide （FMN） and both undergo light-activated formation of a covalent bond between a nearby cystelne and the C（4a） carbon of the FMN to form the signaling state. LOV2-cystelnyl adduct formation leads to the release downstream of a tightly bound amphlpathlc α-helix, a step required for activation of the klnase function. This cysteinyl adduct then slowly decays over a matter of seconds or minutes to return the photoreceptor chromophore modules to their ground state. Functional LOV2 is required for light-activated phosphorylation and for various blue-light responses mediated by the phototroplns. The function of LOV1 is still unknown, although It may serve to modulate the signal generated by LOV2. The LOV domain Is an ancient chromophore module found In a wide range of otherwise unrelated proteins In fungi and prokaryotes, the latter Including cyanobacterla, eubacterla, and archaea. Further general reviews on the phototropins are those by Celaya and Liscum （2005） and Christie and Briggs （2005）.     

Bacterial synergism or antagonism in a gel cassette system

The growth and the metabolic activity of Shewanella putrfaciens, Brochothrix thermosphacta, and Pseudomonas sp., when cultured individually or in all possible combinations in gel cassettes system supplemented with 0.1% glucose at 5 degrees C, were investigated. The overall outcome was that the coexistence of the above-mentioned microorganisms affected not only each growth rate but also their type of metabolic end products compared to the control cultures. These effects were varied and depended on the selection of the combination of the tested bacteria. For example, the growth of Pseudomonas sp. strains cocultured with either B. thermosphacta or S. putrefaciens strains resulted in different effects: a promoting one for the first and an inhibitory one for the second. Moreover, the production of formic acid and two unidentified organic acids (peaks a and b) was characteristic in all cases in which S. putrefaciens was cultured.     

Subcellular localization and turnover of Arabidopsis phototropin 1

We reported recently that internalization of the plant blue light receptor phototropin 1 (phot1) from the plasma membrane in response to irradiation is reliant on receptor autophosphorylation. Pharmacological interference and co-immunoprecipitation analyses also indicated that light-induced internalization of phot1 involves clathrin-dependent processes. Here, we describe additional pharmacological studies that impact the subcellular localization and trafficking of Arabidopsis phot1. Alterations in the microtububle cytoskeleton led to dramatic differences in phot1 localization and function. Likewise, inhibition of phosphatidic acid (PA) signaling was found to impair phot1 localization and function. However, action of PA inhibition on phot1 function may be attributed to pleiotropic effects on cell growth. While phot1 kinase activation is necessary to stimulate its internalization, autophosphorylation is not required for phot1 turnover in response to prolonged blue light irradiation. The implications of these findings in regard to phot1 localization and function are discussed.Key words: phototropin 1 (phot1), phototropism, subcellular trafficking, autophosphorylation, protein turnover     

A decoupled fluid structure approach for estimating wall stress in abdominal aortic aneurysms

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a localized dilatation of the aortic wall. The lack of an accurate AAA rupture risk index remains an important problem in the clinical management of the disease. To accurately estimate AAA rupture risk, detailed information on patient-specific wall stress distribution and aortic wall tissue yield stress is required. A complete fluid structure interaction (FSI) study is currently impractical and thus of limited clinical value. On the other hand, isolated static structural stress analysis based on a uniform wall loading is a widely used approach for AAA rupture risk estimation that, however, neglects the flow-induced wall stress variation. The aim of this study was to assess the merit of a decoupled fluid structure analysis of AAA wall stress. Anatomically correct, patient specific AAA wall models were created by 3D reconstruction of computed tomography images. Flow simulations were carried out with inflow and outflow boundary conditions obtained from patient extracted data. Static structural stress analysis was performed applying both a uniform pressure wall loading and a flow induced non-uniform pressure distribution obtained during early systolic deceleration. For the structural analysis, a hyperelastic arterial wall model and an elastic intraluminal thrombus model were assumed. The results of this study demonstrate that although the isolated static structural stress analysis approach captures the gross features of the stress distribution it underestimates the magnitude of the peak wall stress by as much as 12.5% compared to the proposed decoupled fluid structure approach. Furthermore, the decoupled approach provides potentially useful information on the nature of the aneurysmal sac flow.     

A computational model of visual marking using an inter-connected network of spiking neurons: the spiking search over time & space model (sSoTS).

In the real world, visual information is selected over time as well as space, when we prioritise new stimuli for attention. Watson and Humphreys [Watson, D., Humphreys, G.W., 1997. Visual marking: prioritizing selection for new objects by top-down attentional inhibition of old objects. Psychological Review 104, 90-122] presented evidence that new information in search tasks is prioritised by (amongst other processes) active ignoring of old items - a process they termed visual marking. In this paper we present, for the first time, an explicit computational model of visual marking using biologically plausible activation functions. The "spiking search over time and space" model (sSoTS) incorporates different synaptic components (NMDA, AMPA, GABA) and a frequency adaptation mechanism based on [Ca(2+)] sensitive K(+) current. This frequency adaptation current can act as a mechanism that suppresses the previously attended items. We show that, when coupled with a process of active inhibition applied to old items, frequency adaptation leads to old items being de-prioritised (and new items prioritised) across time in search. Furthermore, the time course of these processes mimics the time course of the preview effect in human search. The results indicate that the sSoTS model can provide a biologically plausible account of human search over time as well as space.