Aboriginal New World epidemiology and medical care,and the impact of Old World disease imports

Various workers, including T. D. Stewart, claim that the aboriginal Americas were relatively disease-free because of the Bering Strait cold-screen, eliminating many pathogens, and the paucity of zoonotic infections because of few domestic animals. Evidence of varying validity suggests that precontact Americans had their own strains of treponemic infections, bacillary and amoebic dysenteries, influenza and viral pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, salmonellosis and perhaps other food poisoning, various arthritides, some endoparasites such as the ascarids, and several geographically circumscribed diseases such as the rickettsial verruca (Carrion's disease) and New World leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis. Questionably aboriginal are tuberculosis and typhus. Accordingly, virtually all the “crowd-type” ecopathogenic diseases such as smallpox, yellow fever, typhoid, malaria, measles, pertussis, polio, etc., appear to have been absent from the New World, and were only brought in by White conquerors and their Black slaves. My hypothesis is that native American medical care systems—especially in the more culturally advanced areas—were sufficiently sophisticated to deal with native disease entities with reasonable competence. But native medical systems could not cope with the “crowd-type” disease imports that struck Indian and Eskimos as “virgin field” populations. Reanalysis of native population losses through a genocidal combination of disease, war, slavery and attendant cultural disruption by Dobyns, Cook and others strongly suggest that traditional estimates underplayed the death toll by a factor of the general order of ten. This would make for an immediately pre-contact Indian population of some 90–111 million instead of the traditional 8–11 million. Evidence is growing that Indians may have been no more susceptible to new pathogens than are other “virgin soil” populations, and thus their immune systems need not be considered less effective than those in other people. Present-day high mortality rates in Indians of both continents from infectious disease imports may be more socioeconomic than anything else.     

Biophysical Examinations of the Bending Stability of Various Stele Types and the Upright Axes of Early “Vascular” Land Plants

Biophysical methods allow quantitative deductions as to the “bending effectivity” of various stele types and the contribution of different tissues to the stability of upright plant axes. Considering the first occurrence of the different stele types in geological history, a strong tendency towards a higher “bending effectivity” can be observed. It can be shown that Rhynia gwynne-vaughanii, Aglaophyton major (Rhynia major) and Asteroxylon mackiei as well as probably the vast majority of early “vascular” land plants were turgor systems, i.e. that the parenchyma (when fully turgescent) is by far the most important contributory factor towards the bending stability of the upright axes.     

Phylogeny and morphological evolution of the so‐called bougainvilliids (Hydrozoa,Hydroidolina)

We present phylogenetic analyses (parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) for 69 lineages of anthoathecate hydroids based on 18 morphological characters (12 proposed for the first time) plus mitochondrial (16S and COI) and nuclear (18S and 28S) molecular markers. This study aims to test the monophyly of the present concept of the family Bougainvilliidae, assessing its phylogenetic position within Hydroidolina. Our working hypothesis is used as a context for inferring the evolution of certain morphological characters, focusing on the exoskeleton. Our results shed light on some phylogenetic uncertainties within Hydroidolina, delimiting eight well‐supported linages, viz. Hydroidolina, Siphonophorae, Leptothecata, Aplanulata, Filifera II, Filifera III, Capitata and Pseudothecata taxon novum, the latter supported by four morphological synapomorphies. The monophyly of several families was not supported, viz. Bougainvilliidae, Cordylophoridae, Oceaniidae, Rathkeidae and Pandeidae. Some of the genera typically considered in Bougainvilliidae, including Bougainvillia, fell into the clade Pseudothecata, which is consistently reconstructed as the sister group of Leptothecata. We formally suggest that Dicoryne be removed from Bougainvilliidae and placed in the resurrected family Dicorynidae. The exoskeleton was a key feature in the diversification of Hydroidolina, especially with the transition from the bare hydranth to one completely enveloped within the exoskeleton. In this context, bougainvilliids exhibit several intermediate states in the development of the exosarc. Although the concatenated analysis unravels some interesting hypotheses, taxon sampling is still deficient and therefore more data are necessary for achieving a more complete understanding of the evolution and ecology of bougainvilliids and their allies.     

Molecular study of two distinct phytoplasma species associated with streak yellows of date palm in Iran

A disease with symptoms similar to palm lethal yellowing was noticed in the early 2013 in Khuzestan Province (Iran) in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera). Infected trees displaying symptoms of streak yellows and varied in the incidence and severity of yellowing. A study was initiated to determine whether phytoplasma was the causal agent. Polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) methods using universal phytoplasma primers pairs R16mF1/mR1 and M1/M2 were employed to detect putative phytoplasma(s) associated with date palm trees. Nested PCR using universal primers revealed that 40 out of 53 trees were positive for phytoplasma while asymptomatic date palms from another location (controls) tested negative. RFLP analyses and DNA sequencing of 16S rDNA indicated that the presence of two different phytoplasmas most closely related to clover proliferation (CP) phytoplasma (group 16SrVI) and ash yellows (AY) phytoplasma (group 16SrVII). Sequence analysis confirmed that palm streak yellows phytoplasmas in each group were uniform and to be phylogenetically closest to “CandidatusP. fraxini” (MF374755) and “Ca. P. trifolii” isolate Rus‐CP361Fc1 (KX773529). Result of RFLP analysis of secA gene of positive samples using TruI and TaqI endonuclease is in agreement with rDNA analysis. On this basis, both strains were classified as members of subgroups 16SrVI‐A and 16SrVII‐A. This is the first report of a phytoplasma related to CP and AY phytoplasma causing date palm yellows disease symptoms.     

Preliminary Observations on the Nature,Taxonomic Composition,Distribution, Behaviour and Nutrient Requirements of the “Unusual” Algal “Jellies” of Oguta Lake in Southeastern Nigeria

Preliminary observations were made between October 1982 and May 1983 on the nature, taxonomic composition, spatial distribution, buoyancy behaviour and nutrient requirements of some unusual planktonic algal “jellies” in Oguta Lake in Southeastern Nigeria. These “jellies” are macroscopic, blue-green algal masses whose excessive mucilage of high consistency acts as substrata for other epiphytic components viz. diatoms and green algae. They are more abundant in the lentic areas of the lake, undergo diurnal vertical movements and have their growth enhanced by spikes of nitrogen and phosphorus salts into their aquatic medium. The effects of these “jellies” on the ecology and general water use of the lake are discussed. Speculations on the reasons for their occurrence are given and possible control measures outlined.     

Molecular study of phytoplasmas associated with pistachio yellows in Iran

A large‐scale survey was conducted on pistachio plants exhibiting foliar symptoms including scorch, little leaf, yellows and reddish in pistachio growing areas in the Qom, Yazd and Qazvin provinces of Iran. Total DNA was extracted from symptomatic and symptomless pistachio and used in nested PCR assays with phytoplasma universal primers. Nested PCR products were obtained for symptomatic plant samples while the symptomless plants yielded no PCR products. Virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism, phylogenetic and DNA homology analyses of partial 16S ribosomal sequences of phytoplasma strains associated with symptomatic plants revealed the presence of phytoplasmas referable to two ribosomal groups; in particular, “Candidatus Phytoplasma solani” and “Ca. P. phoenicium” were identified. The presence of these phytoplasmas in pistachio is of great phytosanitary significance due to its commercial interest.     

The role of temporal sensing in bioelectromagnetic effects

Experiments were conducted to see whether the cellular response to electromagnetic (EM) fields occurs through a detection process involving temporal sensing. L929 cells were exposed to 60 Hz magnetic fields and the enhancement of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity was measured to determine cellular response to the field. In one set of experiments, the field was turned alternately off and on at intervals of 0.1 to 50 s. For these experiments, field coherence was maintained by eliminating the insertion of random time intervals upon switching. Intervals ≥ 1 s produced no enhancement of ODC activity, but fields switched at intervals ≥ 10 s showed ODC activities that were enhanced by a factor of approximately 1.7. These data indicate that it is the interval over which field parameters (e.g., amplitude or frequency) remain constant, rather than the interval over which the field is coherent, that is critical to cellular response to an EMF. In a second set of experiments, designed to determine how long it would take for cells to detect a change in field parameters, the field was interrupted for brief intervals (25–200 ms) once each second throughout exposure. In this situation, the extent of EMF-induced ODC activity depended upon the duration of the interruption. Interruptions ≥ 100 ms were detected by the cell as shown by elimination of field-induced enhancement of ODC. That two time constants (0.1 and 10 s) are involved in cellular EMF detection is consistent with the temporal sensing process associated with bacterial chemotaxis. By analogy with bacterial temporal sensing, cells would continuously sample and average an EM field over intervals of about 0.1 s (the “averaging” time), storing the averaged value in memory. The cell would compare the stored value with the current average, and respond to the EM field only when field parameters remain constant over intervals of approximately 10 s (the “memory” time). Bioelectromagnetics 18:388–395, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Early leaf miners and the ground plan of the lepidopteran larval trunk: Caterpillar morphology of the basal moths Heterobathmia,Eriocrania, and Acanthopteroctetes

The larval trunk morphology including chaetotaxy, locomotory structures, and trunk musculature of Heterobathmia pseuderiocrania, Eriocrania cicatricella, and Acanthopteroctetes unifascia is described using conventional light, polarization, and scanning electron microscopy. The ground plan morphology of the lepidopteran larva and neolepidopteran caterpillar is discussed in light of the life history succession from free soil dwelling organism to endophagous and finally to a primarily free living, angiosperm associated organism. I suggest that the larval morphology is argued to be strongly influenced by the shift in number of surfaces present in the larval environment. Especially the environment of the endophagous species, where the upper surface of the leaf mine is linked to the presence of dorsal locomotory structures such as the retractable calli and dorsal friction patches is proposed to have had a significant impact on the morphology and locomotory mechnism of the lepidopteran caterpillar. The chaetotaxy of the lepidopteran ground plan is found to be simple, consisting only of primary and secondary tactile setae and segmental proprioceptors. The presumption of Gerasimov ([1935] Zool Anz 112:177–194) that MXD1 of the prothorax is a shifted mesothoracic MD setae is supported. I suggest that the serial arrangement of the proprioceptors MD1, present on all trunk segments except the prothorax, and a trisetous MV group on all the thoracic segments is part of the lepidopteran larval ground plan. The absence of apodeme structures associated with trunk musculature in the nonglossatans suggests that this is an autapomorphic character of the Lepidoptera and it is further found to have been influential in the evolution of the typical caterpillar trunk. The attachments of the thoracic muscles directly to the trunk integument, suggest that the apodemal structures ancestral to the Amphiesmenoptera have been reduced in the Lepidoptera. Within the non‐Neolepidoptera, the lifehistory shift may have resulted in reduction of the dorsal locomotory structures, such as calli. The abdominal musculature and structural similarities further suggest that the ventral calli are structural predecessors to the crotchet bearing proleg of the “typical caterpillar.” J. Morphol. 274:1239–1262, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Reproductive patterns in galagos (Galago zanzibaricus and Galago garnettii) in relation to climatic variability

The reproductive patterns (birth seasonality, litter size, litters per year) of two sympatric species of galago (Galago zanzibaricus and G. garnettii) were studied in a coastal forest in Kenya for a two-year period. Trap-retrap and radio tracking methods were employed. G. zanzibaricus has one infant twice per year; G. garnettii has one infant once per year. Both species are seasonal breeders. These East African galagos are intermediate in reproductive patterns when compared with galagos from South African woodland (G. senegalensis moholi and G. crassicaudatus umbrosis) and West African rainforest (G. alleni and G. demidovii). Climatic patterns (total annual rainfall, seasonal variability of rainfall, variability in total annual rainfall, and annual temperature variability) are also compared for the three regions. Climatically, East Africa is intermediate between West and South Africa in total annual rainfall and in seasonality of rainfall, but not in year-to-year variability in rainfall. East Africa shows the highest variability in annual rainfall. South Africa has the coldest dry seasons and highest variability in temperatures. The results of this study suggest that “r-selection” and “K-selection” do not provide adequate explanations of galago reproductive patterns.     

Basic description and some notes on the evolution of seven sympatric morphs of Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma from the Lake Kronotskoe Basin

The study examines the basic morphological and ecological features of Dolly Varden from Lake Kronotskoe (Russia, Kamchatka). Seven valid morphs different in head proportions, feeding, timing, and place of spawning have been determined in this ecosystem. The basic morphometric characteristics clearly separate Lake Kronotskoe morphs from each other, as well as from its potential ancestor (Dolly Varden). According to CVA analysis, the most notable morphological characteristics determining the mouth position are the length of a lower jaw and rostrum. Furthermore, five of seven morphs inhabit different depth zones of the lake and feed on different food resources. Our data suggest that reproductive isolation may be maintained by temporal/spatial isolation for two morphs with lacustrine spawning, and by spatial isolation only for the rest of the morphs with riverine spawning. The sympatric diversity of the Lake Kronotskoe charrs is exceptionally wide, and there are no other examples for seven sympatric morphs of genus Salvelinus to coexist within a single ecosystem. This study puts forward a three‐step hypothetical model of charr divergence in Lake Kronotskoe as a potential ground for future studies.     

Is the Prevalence of Successful Weight Loss and Maintenance Higher in the General Community than the Research Clinic?

BARTLETT, SUSAN J., MYLES S. FAITH, KEVIN R. FONTAINE, LAWRENCE J. CHESKIN, AND DAVID B. ALLISON. Is the prevalence of successful weight loss and maintenance higher in the general community than the research clinic? Obes Res. Objective: The prevalence of successful weight loss remains unclear. In 1982, Schachter concluded that in the general population, the rate of “self-cured” obesity approached 63%–much higher than the rate from clinical trials. Several subsequent studies have addressed this issue. Research Methods and Procedures: Our initial goal was to meta-analyze these studies to evaluate the validity of the original hypotheses and the extent to which additional investigations supported the findings. We began by restating Schachter's hypotheses in precise, testable terms. Results: A systematic review of these studies found many methodological limitations and much heterogeneity among the samples studied, hypotheses addressed, and operational definitions. Some of these limitations appear to stem from the lack of clear, precise statements of the exact hypotheses tested. Differences among studies are delineated, and we outline why meta-analytic pooling of these data appears inappropriate. Conclusions: The current data are inadequate to draw any definite conclusions regarding the cure rate of obesity. Criteria for the adequate study of success rates with “self-cure” in the general population are proposed.     

Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) social organization: Group structure

Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) social organization was studied at the Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan Tengah, Indonesia, for 12 months. Data were collected on one-male groups and all-male groups by using scan sampling and event sampling while following groups. Evening census surveys were also conducted. Proboscis monkeys were found to follow the typical Asian colobine pattern of one-male social groups, with extra-group males forming all-male groups. These groups appear stable, with few changes in membership. One-male groups appear to be “female bonded”; adult females direct affiliative behaviors towards their offspring and other adult females, not towards the male. Nearest-neighbor data indicate some peripheralization of juvenile animals.     

The skull attributed to Mozart—craniosynostosis or not?

The results of a detailed morphological analysis of the skull attributed to Mozart are presented which refute a recent claim that the skull as well as several of Mozart's portraits show indications of uncomplicated trigonocephaly. These indications according to the present analysis are within the limits of normal variation and derive from retention of part of the long arm of the anterior fontanelle.     

Medical therapies with adult stem/progenitor cells (MSCs): a backward journey from dramatic results in vivo to the cellular and molecular explanations

There is currently great interest in the use of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) for the therapy of many diseases of animals and humans. However, we are still left with the serious challenges in explaining the beneficial effects of the cells. Hence, it is essential to work backward from dramatic results obtained in vivo to the cellular and molecular explanations in order to discover the secrets of MSCs. This review will focus on recent data that have changed the paradigms for understanding the therapeutic potentials of MSCs.     

Rate Constants and the Variation of Random Concentration Curves in a 2-Compartment System

In biology and medicine many substances and drugs enter the system not at regular time intervals but rather according to a random process. In the present article a situation is investigated where input enters a 2-compartment system according to a Poisson process. The arising two random concentration curves y(t), one for the central and one for the peripheral compartment are discussed (shot noise). The equations for E[y(t)] and Var [y(t)] are derived. The dependence of E[y(t)] and Var [y(t)] and of the index of dispersion ID[y(t)] on the rate parameters is analysed and discussed in both compartments. The arising calculations were considerably simplified by means of “Mathematica”, a computer program which allows to perform symbolic calculations.     

Two two-gene macronuclear chromosomes of the hypotrichous ciliates Oxytricha fallax and O. trifallax generated by alternative processing of the 81 locus

We describe the first known macronuclear chromosomes that carry more than one gene in hypotrichous ciliated protozoa. These 4.9- and 2.8-kbp chromosomes each consist almost exclusively of two protein-coding genes, which are conserved and transcribed. The two chromosomes share a common region that consists of a gene that is a member of the family of mitochondrial solute carrier genes (CR-MSC; [Williams and Herrick (1991): Nucleic Acids Res 19:4717–4724]. Each chromosome also carries another gene appended to its common region: The 4.9-kbp chromosome also carries a gene that encodes a protein that is rich in glutamine and charged amino acids and bears regions of heptad repeats characteristic of coiled-coils. Its function is unknown. The second gene of the 2.8 kbp chromosome is a mitochondrial solute carrier gene (LA-MSC); thus, the 2.8-kbp chromosome consists of two mitochondrial solute carrier paralogs. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the two genes were duplicated before ciliates diverged from the main eukaryotic lineage and were subsequently juxtaposed. The CR- and LA-MSC genes are each interrupted by three introns. The introns are not in homologous positions, suggesting that they may have originated from multiple group II intron transpositions. These chromosomes and their genes are encoded in the Oxytricha germline by the 81 locus. This locus is alternatively processed to generate a nested set of three macronuclear chromosomes, the 4.9- and 2.8-kbp chromosomes and a third (1.6 kbp) which consists almost exclusively of the shared common gene, CR-MSC. Such alternative processing is common in macronuclear development of O. fallax [Cartinhour and Herrick (1984): Mol Cell Biol 4:931–938]. Possible functions for alternative processing are considered; e.g., it may serve to physically link genes to allow co-regulation or co-replication by a common cis-acting sequence. Dev. Genet. 20:348–357, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Phototherapie gegen Rückenschmerzen

Phototherapy Miniaturization of electronics, small enough to be integrated into textiles, offer new opportunities for medical technology and phototherapy. Measuring physiological body functions and the use of semiconductors like light emitting diodes (LEDs) actively influencing physiology are examples for these kinds of innovations.