Possible functions of alternative nests in raptors: the case of Bonelli’s Eagle

Four non-exclusive hypotheses have been proposed to explain the alternative nest-building behaviour of raptors: (1) nests as an advertising signal in territories, (2) frustration nests, (3) competition avoidance by nest-site and (4) reduction of nest ectoparasites. We report here data collected during an observational study of a population of Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus in southeastern Spain. Our data does not support the first two hypotheses based on the closeness of nests within territories, the lack of correlation between the number of nests and the distance to neighbours and the construction of secondary nests at similar frequencies after breeding failures as after successes. In contrast, the construction of alternative nests to avoid competition with other cliff-nesting raptor species breeding nearby was clearly important since 30% of the pairs obtained some direct benefit from the existence of alternative nests within their territories. We also found abundant Coleoptera (Dermestidae) and Diptera (Carnidae, Calliphoridae and Phoridae) as ectoparasites in nests, and the alternative use of nests, synergetically with the presence of greenery as mechanisms for avoiding ectoparasites, was an important factor for the breeding success of the eagle. Our data suggest that competition avoidance and, in particular, the reduction of nest ectoparasite hypotheses are the more plausible explanations for the maintenance of alternative nests in raptors.     

Masson’s tumor of the kidney: a case report

Background

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (known also as Masson’s tumor) is a benign vascular lesion that commonly occurs in the skin and is rarely found in solid organs, especially in the kidney. In what follows, we will look into the first case of an unexpectedly diagnosed Masson’s tumor of the kidney presenting as a suspicious renal cyst.

Case presentation

A 61-year-old Arab man presented with a left renal cyst, incidentally revealed by ultrasonography. The laboratory values were unremarkable. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a 38 mm left renal midportion Bosniak IV cyst. Our patient underwent a radical nephrectomy. Histopathology revealed the diagnosis of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia. There was no recurrence detected after 9 years of follow-up.

Conclusions

Renal intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia is a rare benign tumor which can mimic a suspicious renal mass on radiological findings. Thus, this entity should be considered more often in the thick of the diagnostic possibilities in order to avoid unnecessary nephrectomies.

     

Phytotaxonomy in the People’s Republic of China

As three of the members of the delegation of the Botanical Society of America, the authors participated in a 28-day tour of the People’s Republic of China in May and June, 1978. Botanical institutes and universities were visited in nine cities. A list of names and addresses of the collaborators and editors of family treatments for theFlora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae is supplemented with a bibliography of published floras and significant taxonomic literature issued primarily since the end of the Cultural Revolution. A few observations on herbaria and herbarium practices are included.     

Homeostasis of metals in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease

In order to study the involvement of metals in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, serum samples from patients with Alzheimer and mild cognitive impairment were investigated. For this purpose, metal content was analyzed after size-fractionation of species and then, inter-element and inter-fraction ratios were computed. In this way, the analysis allowed discovering changes that could be used as markers of disease, but also provided a new insight into the interactions in the homeostasis of elements in neurodegeneration and its progression. Aluminum and labile forms of iron and copper were increased in demented patients, while manganese, zinc and selenium were reduced. Interestingly, levels of different elements, principally iron, aluminum and manganese, were closely inter-related, which could evidence a complex interdependency between the homeostasis of the different metals in this disorder. On the other hand, imbalances in metabolism of copper, zinc and selenium could be associated to abnormal redox status. Therefore, this study may contribute to our understanding of the pathological mechanisms related to metals in Alzheimer’s disease.     

Studying the evolution of social behaviour in one of Darwin’s Dreamponds: a case for the Lamprologine shell-dwelling cichlids

The link between the evolution of advanced sociality and cognition has been an important concept across fields and taxonomic boundaries. However, in many study systems, ecological and phylogenetic confounds impair evolutionary inferences drawn when comparing social organization. Here, we highlight the value of the shell-dwelling Lamprologine cichlids of Lake Tanganyika in studies of cognitive and social evolution. These species show differences in social organization, both within and across species, but otherwise exhibit remarkable similarities in their ecology and life history. We focus on the ecological and social attributes of 15 Lamprologine cichlids that live in permanent association with empty gastropod shells, often in syntopy and with largely overlapping ecological niches. We then discuss difficulties with terminology and categorization of social organization, outlining current and emerging methodologies to address these limitations. Our goal is twofold: (i) to gather available empirical evidence on the behaviour, life history, and ecology of shell-dwelling Lamprologine cichlids, highlighting their potential in comparative studies of cognition and evolution, and (ii) to stimulate debate and critical appraisal of current terminology and categorizations of social structure, ideally leading to more precise and empirically standardized definitions of sociality in cichlids.

     

Etanercept in the Treatment of Intestinal Behcet’s Disease

Behcet’s disease (BD) accompanied by intestinal involvement is called intestinal BD. Although recent studies have attained positive feedback with the administration of anti-TNF-α agents in patients with BD, only a few reports on the study of etanercept in intestinal BD have been found. In this study, 35 cases of intestinal BD were treated with conventional therapy (prednisone or methotrexate) for a minimum period of 3 months (group 1). Another 19 patients who failed to respond to conventional therapy were then treated with etanercept (25 mg twice a week for 3 months). During each subsequent relapse, the patients were given the same treatment. The main outcome measures were the four criteria for diagnosis of BD (buccal ulcers, genital ulcers, ocular lesions, and skin lesions), the manifestation of intestinal involvement (abdominal symptoms, double-balloon enteroscopy), laboratory examinations of the acute phase reactants (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and C-reactive protein, and relapses. As a result of the administered therapy, the healing rate of buccal and genital ulcers, the remission rate of ocular lesions, skin lesions, and abdominal symptoms, the healing rate of intestinal ulcers, and the recovery rate of ESR and CRP were significantly higher in group 2 than those of group 1. The relapse rate in the etanercept therapy was reduced significantly when compared with conventional therapy group. In conclusion, etanercept treatment, in contrast to the conventional therapy, can result in better curative effect and less adverse reactions in intestinal BD.     

Stages in the development of Parkinson’s disease-related pathology

The synucleinopathy, idiopathic Parkinsons disease, is a multisystem disorder that involves only a few predisposed nerve cell types in specific regions of the human nervous system. The intracerebral formation of abnormal proteinaceous Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites begins at defined induction sites and advances in a topographically predictable sequence. As the disease progresses, components of the autonomic, limbic, and somatomotor systems become particularly badly damaged. During presymptomatic stages 1–2, inclusion body pathology is confined to the medulla oblongata/pontine tegmentum and olfactory bulb/anterior olfactory nucleus. In stages 3–4, the substantia nigra and other nuclear grays of the midbrain and forebrain become the focus of initially slight and, then, severe pathological changes. At this point, most individuals probably cross the threshold to the symptomatic phase of the illness. In the end-stages 5–6, the process enters the mature neocortex, and the disease manifests itself in all of its clinical dimensions.Funding for this project was made available by the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)     

Rethinking Woodger’s Legacy in the Philosophy of Biology

The writings of Joseph Henry Woodger (1894–1981) are often taken to exemplify everything that was wrongheaded, misguided, and just plain wrong with early twentieth-century philosophy of biology. Over the years, commentators have said of Woodger: (a) that he was a fervent logical empiricist who tried to impose the explanatory gold standards of physics onto biology, (b) that his philosophical work was completely disconnected from biological science, (c) that he possessed no scientific or philosophical credentials, and (d) that his work was disparaged – if not altogether ignored – by the biologists and philosophers of his era. In this paper, we provide the first systematic examination of Woodger’s oeuvre, and use it to demonstrate that the four preceding claims are false. We argue that Woodger’s ideas have exerted an important influence on biology and philosophy, and submit that the current consensus on his legacy stems from a highly selective reading of his works. By rehabilitating Woodger, we hope to show that there is no good reason to continue to disregard the numerous contributions to the philosophy of biology produced in the decades prior to the professionalization of the discipline.     

Post-Mortem Examination in the Diagnosis of Johne’s Disease in Goats

Post-mortem examinations play an important role in Johne’s disease programmes in Norway. The results of such examinations of samples of viscera from 2997 goats carried out during the 5-year period 1972–1976 are given. The investigations show that the demonstration of macroscopical changes in mesenteric lymph nodes and small intestine has only limited value as a guideline in the post-mortem diagnosis of Johne’s disease in goats. Often macroscopical changes were not seen or they were non-specific. Caseous and/or calcified foci in mesenteric lymph nodes in infected animals were demonstrated quite often whilst observed intestinal changes were strikingly few. Corrugation of the mucosa was rare. However, in sections of macroscopically unchanged intestine marked epithelioid cell infiltrations and abundant acid-fast bacilli were not uncommon. In sporadic cases productive inflammation with tubercle formation was seen in lymph nodes in infected animals. Bacteriological culture was by far the most reliable post-mortem diagnostic method. By this method 92% of the infected goats were detected. The corresponding figures for histological examination and microscopy were 54% and 47%, respectively.     

Benefits of Iron Chelators in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

As a novel discovered regulated cell death pattern, ferroptosis has been associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and has attracted widespread attention. Nevertheless, the relationship between ferroptosis and PD pathogenesis is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the effect of iron overload on dopaminergic (DA) neurons and its correlation with ferroptosis. Here we use nerve growth factor (NGF) induced PC12 cells which are derived from pheochromocytoma of the rat adrenal to establish a classical PD in vitro model. We found significantly decreased cell viability in NGF-PC12 cell under ammonium ferric citrate (FAC) administration. Moreover, excessive intracellular iron ions induced the increase of (reactive oxygen species) ROS release as well as the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential in PC12-NGF cells. In addition, we also found that overloaded iron can activate cell apoptosis and ferroptosis pathways, which led to cell death. Furthermore, MPP-induced PD cells were characterized by mitochondrial shrinkage, decreased expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) and ferritin heavy chain (FTH1), and increased divalent metal transporter (DMT1) and transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) expression level. In contrast, Lip-1 and DFO increased the expression level of GPX4 and FTH1 compared to MPP-induced PD cell. In conclusion, we indicated that overloaded intracellular iron contributes to neurons death via apoptosis and ferroptosis pathways, while DFO, an iron chelator, can inhibit ferroptosis in order to protect the neurons in vitro.

     

Synthesis and evaluation of multi-target-directed ligands for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease based on the fusion of donepezil and melatonin

A novel series of compounds obtained by fusing the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor donepezil and the antioxidant melatonin were designed as multi-target-directed ligands for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In vitro assay indicated that most of the target compounds exhibited a significant ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (eeAChE and hAChE), butyrylcholinesterase (eqBuChE and hBuChE), and β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation, and to act as potential antioxidants and biometal chelators. Especially, 4u displayed a good inhibition of AChE (IC₅₀ value of 193 nM for eeAChE and 273 nM for hAChE), strong inhibition of BuChE (IC₅₀ value of 73 nM for eqBuChE and 56 nM for hBuChE), moderate inhibition of Aβ aggregation (56.3% at 20 μM) and good antioxidant activity (3.28 trolox equivalent by ORAC assay). Molecular modeling studies in combination with kinetic analysis revealed that 4u was a mixed-type inhibitor, binding simultaneously to catalytic anionic site (CAS) and the peripheral anionic site (PAS) of AChE. In addition, 4u could chelate metal ions, reduce PC12 cells death induced by oxidative stress and penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Taken together, these results strongly indicated the hybridization approach is an efficient strategy to identify novel scaffolds with desired bioactivities, and further optimization of 4u may be helpful to develop more potent lead compound for AD treatment.     

Dust acoustic solitons in the dusty plasma of the Earth’s ionosphere

Plasma Physics Reports - Stratified structures that are observed at heights of 80–95 km in the lower part of the Earth’s ionosphere are known as noctilucent clouds and polar mesosphere...     

Further evidence of the involvement of the Wnt signaling pathway in Dupuytren’s disease

Genetic background plays an important role in the development of Dupuytren’s disease. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) showed that nine loci are associated with the disease, six of which contain genes that are involved in Wnt signaling (WNT2, WNT4, WNT7B, RSPO2, SFRP4, SULF1). To obtain insight in the role of these genes, we performed expression studies on affected and unaffected patient’s tissues. Surgically obtained nodules and cords from eight Dupuytren’s patients were compared to patient-matched control tissue (unaffected transverse palmar fascia). The Wnt-related genes found in the GWAS, the classical Wnt-downstream protein β-catenin, as well as (myo)fibroblast markers were analyzed using real-time qPCR and immunohistochemical stainings for mRNA levels and protein levels, respectively. The collagen-coding genes COL1A1 and COL3A1 were highly upregulated on mRNA level, both in cords and nodules. Three Wnt-related genes were found to be differently regulated compared to control tissue: WNT2 was downregulated in nodules, WNT7B was upregulated in nodules, and SFRP4 was upregulated in nodules and cords. Immunohistochemistry revealed significantly less staining of Wnt2 in cords, but significantly more staining for Wnt7b in nodules. There was significantly more staining of α-SMA in nodules and cord and β-catenin in nodules than in control tissue. We found differences in expression, both at mRNA and protein level, in several Wnt-related genes found earlier to be associated with Dupuytren’s disease. Of these, Wnt7b was upregulated and found in close association with both α-SMA and β-catenin expressing cells, making it a candidate pro-fibrotic mediator in Dupuytren’s disease.     

The fertility of women Poland in the period of trasformation of the political and economics system (the 80’s and 90’s)

Wielkopolska (western Poland) is a region, with good reason, called the main food base of Poland. All indices of agricultural production have always been there (since 19th century) much higher than elsewhere in the country (Ratajczak 1977/1978, Buszko 1984, Gorzelak 1989, Czyzewski et al. 1992; table 1). Such a situation had a beneficial effect on the amount of the income generated by a family of Wielkopolska and, thus, decided on its better financial status. Additionally, rural inhabitants of this region have always been characterised by a more advantageous educational structure in comparison with people of other Polish villages. Generally, it is easy to detect the relationship between the life standard, the level of education and family planning. The aim of this paper is to assess fertility of women from villages of Wielkopolska in the period of transformation of the political and economic system in Poland.     

Hodgkin’s disease in the spleen

Spleens with proven though small Hodgkin lesions were examined expecially in relation to the lymphoid tissue normally engaged in the immune response. These Hodgkin foci were always very close to small arteries and surrounded by a lymphocyte corona. Most of the red and white pulp seemed normal, but in some instances abnormal looking large and also multinucleated cells were found scattered through the p.a.l.s. and especially through some follicles. It is considered possible that these isolated cellular abnormalities in the white pulp, when associated with pre-existent Hodgkin foci, represent early Hodgkin lesions. The implications for the dissemination of the disease are discussed. Spread of malignant cells to the spleen is only acceptable within the concept of a homing principle. It is also possible that the lesions arise "de novo". The nature of the observed abnormal cells is not clear. An explanation for the origin of these Sternberg-Reed-like cells from B-lymphocytes would be in accordance with recent data, but another possibility still is that they originate from antigen trapping cells.     

Role of zinc and copper ions in the pathogenetic mechanisms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases

Disbalance of zinc (Zn²⁺) and copper (Cu²⁺) ions in the central nervous system is involved in the pathogenesis of numerous neurodegenerative disorders such as multisystem atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Wilson-Konovalov disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Among these, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the most frequent age-related neurodegenerative pathologies with disorders in Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ homeostasis playing a pivotal role in the mechanisms of pathogenesis. In this review we generalized and systematized current literature data concerning this problem. The interactions of Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ with amyloid precursor protein (APP), β-amyloid (Abeta), tau-protein, metallothioneins, and GSK3β are considered, as well as the role of these interactions in the generation of free radicals in AD and PD. Analysis of the literature suggests that the main factors of AD and PD pathogenesis (oxidative stress, structural disorders and aggregation of proteins, mitochondrial dysfunction, energy deficiency) that initiate a cascade of events resulting finally in the dysfunction of neuronal networks are mediated by the disbalance of Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺.