Issues associated with the use of phosphospecific antibodies to localise active and inactive pools of GSK-3 in cells

Abstract  

     

Unveiling the environmental drivers of intraspecific body size variation in terrestrial vertebrates

Aim

Whether intraspecific spatial patterns in body size are generalizable across species remains contentious, as well as the mechanisms underlying these patterns. Here we test several hypotheses explaining within-species body size variation in terrestrial vertebrates including the heat balance, seasonality, resource availability and water conservation hypotheses for ectotherms, and the heat conservation, heat dissipation, starvation resistance and resource availability hypotheses for endotherms.

Location

Global.

Time period

1970–2016.

Major taxa studied

Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Methods

We collected 235,905 body size records for 2,229 species (amphibians = 36; reptiles = 81; birds = 1,545; mammals = 567) and performed a phylogenetic meta-analysis of intraspecific correlations between body size and environmental variables. We further tested whether correlations differ between migratory and non-migratory bird and mammal species, and between thermoregulating and thermoconforming ectotherms.

Results

For bird species, smaller intraspecific body size was associated with higher mean and maximum temperatures and lower resource seasonality. Size–environment relationships followed a similar pattern in resident and migratory birds, but the effect of resource availability on body size was slightly positive only for non-migratory birds. For mammals, we found that intraspecific body size was smaller with lower resource availability and seasonality, with this pattern being more evident in sedentary than migratory species. No clear size–environment relationships were found for reptiles and amphibians.

Main conclusions

Within-species body size variation across endotherms is explained by disparate underlying mechanisms for birds and mammals. Heat conservation (Bergmann's rule) and heat dissipation are the dominant processes explaining biogeographic intraspecific body size variation in birds, whereas in mammals, body size clines are mostly explained by the starvation resistance and resource availability hypotheses. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind species adaptations to the environment across their geographic distributions.     

Past vegetation dynamics in the Yellowstone region highlight the vulnerability of mountain systems to climate change

Aim

Reconstruct the long‐term ecosystem dynamics of the region across an elevational gradient as they relate to climate and local controls. In particular, we (1) describe the dominant conifers' history; (2) assess changes in vegetation composition and distribution; and (3) note periods of abrupt change versus stability as means of better understanding vegetation responses to environmental variability.

Location

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE; USA).

Time period

16.5 ka bp ‐present.

Major taxa studied

Juniperus, Picea, Abies, Pinus, Pseudotsuga.

Methods

The vegetation reconstruction was developed from 15 pollen records. Results were interpreted based on modern pollen–vegetation relationships estimated from a suite of regression‐based approaches.

Results

Calibrated pollen data suggest that late‐glacial vegetation, dominated by shrubs and Juniperus, lacks a modern counterpart in the area. Picea, Abies and Pinus expanded at 16 ka bp in association with postglacial warming and co‐occurred in mixed‐conifer parkland/forest after 12 ka bp . This association along with Pinus contorta forest, which was present after 9 ka bp , has persisted with little change at middle and high elevations to the present day. This stability contrasts with the dynamic history of plant communities at low elevations, where shifts between parkland, steppe and forest over the last 8,000 years were likely driven by variations in effective moisture and fire.

Main conclusions

The postglacial vegetation history of the GYE highlights the dynamic nature of mountain ecosystems and informs on their vulnerability to future climate change: (1) most of the conifers have been present in the area for >12,000 years and survived climate change by adjusting their elevational ranges; (2) some plant associations have exhibited stability over millennia as a result of nonclimatic controls; and (3) present‐day forest cover is elevationally more compressed than at any time in history, probably due to the legacy of the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age.     

Clustering the annotation space of proteins

Background  

Current protein clustering methods rely on either sequence or functional similarities between proteins, thereby limiting inferences to one of these areas.     

On the relationship between the load and the variance of relative fitness

Background  

Operation of natural selection can be characterized by a variety of quantities. Among them, variance of relative fitness V and load L are the most fundamental.     

The signals of FGFs on the neurogenesis of embryonic stem cells

Background  

Neural induction is a complex process and the detailed mechanism of FGF-induced neurogenesis remains unclear.     

Bilateral metastasis to the femoral head as the only manifestation of recurrence of gastric adenocarcinoma: a case report

Background  

Metastases to the bone as the sole manifestation of recurrence of a gastric carcinoma are extremely rare.     

Desmoid tumors of the abdominal wall: A case report

Background  

Desmoid tumors are slow growing deep fibromatoses with aggressive infiltration of adjacent tissue but without any metastatic potential.     

Telomere length determined by the fluorescence in situ hybridisation distinguishes malignant and benign cells in cytological specimens

Background

Telomeres are tandem repeats of TTAGGG at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes that play a key role in preventing chromosomal instability. The aim of the present study is to determine telomere length using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) on cytological specimens.

Methods

Aspiration samples (n = 41) were smeared on glass slides and used for FISH.

Results

Telomere signal intensity was significantly lower in positive cases (cases with malignancy, n = 25) as compared to negative cases (cases without malignancy, n = 16), and the same was observed for centromere intensity. The difference in DAPI intensity was not statistically significant. The ratio of telomere to centromere intensity did not show a significant difference between positive and negative cases. There was no statistical difference in the signal intensities of aspiration samples from ascites or pleural effusion (n = 23) and endoscopic ultrasound‐guided FNA samples from the pancreas (n = 18).

Conclusions

The present study revealed that telomere length can be used as an indicator to distinguish malignant and benign cells in cytological specimens. This novel approach may help improve diagnosis for cancer patients.     

Examining the determinants of mosquito-avoidance practices in two Kenyan cities

Background  

This study assesses the behavioural and socio-economic factors associated with avoiding mosquitoes and preventing malaria in urban environments in Kenya.     

Non-random clustering of stress-related genes during evolution of the S. cerevisiae genome

Background  

Coordinately regulated genes often physically cluster in eukaryotic genomes, for reasons that remain unclear.     

Behavior of osteoblasts on the surfaces of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite coating

Background  

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings on the activity of osteoblasts.     

Conservation prioritisation through genomic reconstruction of demographic histories applied to two endangered suids in the Malay Archipelago

Aim

The biodiversity of the Malay Archipelago is the product of the region's rich biogeographical history with periods of island connectivity and isolation during the Pleistocene glacial cycles. Here, the case of two endemic suid species, the Javan (Sus verrucosus) and Bawean (S. blouchi) warty pigs, was used to illustrate how biogeographic processes and recent anthropogenic pressures can shape demographic histories with significant implications for species conservation.

Location

Malay Archipelago, with focus on Bawean and Java.

Methods

We employed genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms from the Porcine SNP60 v2 BeadChip to assess interspecific genetic differentiation, to estimate divergence times and to perform demographic model selection.

Results

In contrast to the hypothesis of recent divergence during the last glacial maximum, S. blouchi was found to have diverged from S. verrucosus at least 166 k years ago following a founder event. The contemporary S. blouchi population was characterised by a recent bottleneck that reduced the effective population size to less than 20. The genomic assessment supports the single species status of S. blouchi, as was previously proposed based on morphometrics. The demographic history of S. verrucosus showed evidence of secondary contact with the sympatric banded pig (S. scrofa vittatus) that colonised Java 70 k years ago.

Main Conclusions

While the Javan and Bawean warty pigs have persisted throughout the Pleistocene climatic oscillations, contemporary pressures from human activities threaten their survival and immediate action should be taken to grant legal protection to both S. verrucosus and S. blouchi. This study highlighted the use of demographic history modelling using genomic data to identify evolutionary significant units and inform conservation.     

Environmental amoebae do not support the long‐term survival of virulent mycobacteria

Aims

To test the hypothesis that Mycobacterium bovis can persist in the environment within protozoa.

Methods and Results

In this study, we used a novel approach to detect internalized mycobacteria in environmental protozoa from badger latrines. Acid‐fast micro‐organisms were visualized in isolated amoebae, although we were unable to identify them to species level as no mycobacteria were grown from these samples nor was M. bovis detected by IS6110 PCR. Co‐incubation of Acanthamoeba castellanii with virulent M. bovis substantially reduced levels of bacilli, indicating that the amoebae have a negative effect on the persistence of M. bovis.

Conclusions

The internalization of mycobacteria in protozoa might be a rare event under environmental conditions. The results suggest that amoebae might contribute to the inactivation of M. bovis rather than representing a potential environmental reservoir.

Significance and Impact of the Study

Protozoa have been suggested to act as an environmental reservoir for M. bovis. The current study suggests that environmental amoebae play at most a minor role as potential reservoirs of M. bovis and that protozoa might inhibit persistence of M. bovis in the environment.     

Coexpression of adrenomedullin and its receptor component proteins in the reproductive system of the rat during gestation

Background  

Adrenomedullin (ADM), a novel vasorelaxant peptide, was found in human/rat ovaries and uteri. Plasma ADM level increases in pregnant women and pregnant rats.     

Evaluation of the diagnostic performance of infrared imaging of the breast: a preliminary study

Background  

The study was conducted to investigate the diagnostic performance of infrared (IR) imaging of the breast using an interpretive model derived from a scoring system.     

A meta-analysis of the efficacy of fibromyalgia treatment according to level of care

Introduction  

The aim of this paper was to compare the efficacy of the treatments for fibromyalgia currently available in both primary care and specialised settings.     

Volume of the effect compartment in simulations of neuromuscular block

Background  

The study examines the role of the volume of the effect compartment in simulations of neuromuscular block (NMB) produced by nondepolarizing muscle relaxants.