Genetic variation of the white-spotted longicorn beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anoplophora</Emphasis> spp. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Japan detected by mitochondrial DNA sequence

Genetic variation of the white-spotted longicorn beetle Anoplophora spp., distributed on the Japanese mainland and the Ryukyu Islands, was examined using nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial DNA. Two fragments, a 1.2-kb-long fragment containing portions of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I and II genes and a 1.4-kb-long fragment containing portions of 16S and 12S rDNAs, were sequenced. In phylogenetic analyses based on the sequences, 294 individuals collected at 75 localities were divided into two major groups (groups A and B) and then split into seven subgroups (A1–A4 and B1–B3). In group A, the closely related subgroups A1, A2, and A3 were mainly distributed on the Japanese mainland and were roughly separated among geographic areas, although the range of A3 spread significantly from Kyushu to the Central Ryukyu Islands. The sequence of A4, detected from one individual collected in eastern Honshu, was almost the same as that reported for A. chinensis (Forster) on the Chinese continent. In group B, subgroups B1 and B2 were restricted to the Central and Southern Ryukyu Islands, respectively, while B3 was distributed widely in both regions. Based on the results, we discuss the geographic origin of the haplotypes and movement of the insects between geographic areas.     

Presence of allochronic populations of the white grub beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dasylepida ishigakiensis</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on Ishigaki Island,Japan

To investigate the seasonal prevalence of Dasylepida ishigakiensis Niijima et Kinoshita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), synthetic sex pheromone traps were placed on Ishigaki Island in 2008 and 2009. One population is known to occur in the forest and fly for mating from early March to early April. The trap data revealed a second population in the farmland that flew for mating much earlier (mid-January to late February) than did the other population, indicating the presence of allochronic populations. Adults of the farmland population were caught throughout the sugarcane-grown area on the island, whereas those of the forest population appeared to be limited to the forest area. The temporal pattern of trap catches of each population was generally the same between 2008 and 2009. Relatively large trap catches were observed in the west central plane area and a small northern area of the northeastern peninsula of the island. These results suggest that, although it has not caused any damage to agricultural crops on this island, this beetle might be a potentially serious pest of sugarcane crops in the future, as reported on another island of Okinawa.     

The egg parasitoid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Telenomus euproctidis</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) uses sex pheromone released by immobile female tussock moth <Emphasis Type="Italic">Orgyia postica</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) as kairomone

Egg parasitoids Telenomus euproctidis Wilcox (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) were attracted to egg masses laid by wingless immobile female Orgyia postica (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). Virgin females, a solvent extract of pheromone glands, and a synthetic sex pheromone, (6Z,9Z,11S,12S)-11,12-epoxyhenicosa-6,9-diene (posticlure), also attracted this parasitoid in the field, demonstrating that T. euproctidis uses the sex pheromone of female Org. postica as a kairomone to locate host eggs.     

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Assortative Recombination within the Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Population Provide Genetic Diversity at the Single carO Gene, Encoding a Major Outer Membrane Protein Channel

We described previously the presence in Acinetobacter baumannii of a novel outer membrane (OM) protein, CarO, which functions as an l-ornithine OM channel and whose loss was concomitant with increased carbapenem resistance among clonally related nosocomial isolates of this opportunistic pathogen. Here, we describe the existence of extensive genetic diversity at the carO gene within the A. baumannii clinical population. The systematic analysis of carO sequences from A. baumannii isolates obtained from public hospitals in Argentina revealed the existence of four highly polymorphic carO variants among them. Sequence polymorphism between the different A. baumannii CarO variants was concentrated in three well-defined protein regions that superimposed mostly to predicted surface-exposed loops. Polymorphism among A. baumannii CarO variants was manifested in differential electrophoretic mobilities, antigenic properties, abilities to form stable oligomeric structures, and l-ornithine influx abilities through the A. baumannii OM under in vivo conditions. Incongruence between the phylogenies of the clinical A. baumannii isolates analyzed and those of the carO variants they harbor suggests the existence of assortative (entire-gene) carO recombinational exchange within the A. baumannii population. Exchange of carO variants possessing differential characteristics mediated by horizontal gene transfer may constitute an A. baumannii population strategy to survive radically changing environmental conditions, such as the leap from inanimate sources to human hosts and vice versa, persistence in a compromised host, and/or survival in health care facilities.     

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Rebamipide Eyedrop Administration on Ocular Lesions in a Murine Model of Primary Sj?gren's Syndrome

Background

Topical therapy is effective for dry eye, and its prolonged effects should help in maintaining the quality of life of patients with dry eye. We previously reported that the oral administration of rebamipide (Reb), a mucosal protective agent, had a potent therapeutic effect on autoimmune lesions in a murine model of Sjögren''s syndrome (SS). However, the effects of topical treatment with Reb eyedrops on the ocular lesions in the murine model of SS are unknown.

Methods and Finding

Reb eyedrops were administered to the murine model of SS aged 4–8 weeks four times daily. Inflammatory lesions of the extraorbital and intraorbital lacrimal glands and Harderian gland tissues were histologically evaluated. The direct effects of Reb on the lacrimal glands were analyzed using cultured lacrimal gland cells. Tear secretions of Reb-treated mice were significantly increased compared with those of untreated mice. In addition to the therapeutic effect of Reb treatment on keratoconjunctivitis, severe inflammatory lesions of intraorbital lacrimal gland tissues in this model of SS were resolved. The mRNA expression levels of IL-10 and mucin 5Ac in conjunctival tissues from Reb-treated mice was significantly increased compared with those of control mice. Moreover, lactoferrin production from lacrimal gland cells was restored by Reb treatment.

Conclusion

Topical Reb administration had an anti-inflammatory effect on the ocular autoimmune lesions in the murine model of SS and a protective effect on the ocular surfaces.     

The influence of water level on macrophyte growth and trophic interactions in eutrophic Mediterranean shallow lakes: a mesocosm experiment with and without fish

1. Water‐level fluctuations are typical of lakes located in the semi‐arid Mediterranean region, which is characterised by warm rainy winters and hot dry summers. Ongoing climate change may exacerbate fluctuations and lead to more severe episodes of drought, so information on the effects of water level on the functioning of lake ecosystems in such regions is crucial. 2. In eutrophic Lake Eymir, Turkey, we conducted a 4‐month (summer) field experiment using cylindrical 0.8‐m‐ (low‐water‐level) and 1.6‐m‐deep (high‐water‐level) mesocosms (kept open to the sediment and atmosphere). Fish (tench, Tinca tinca, and bleak, Alburnus escherichii) were added to half of the mesocosms, while the rest were kept fishless. Ten shoots of Potamogeton pectinatus were transplanted to each mesocosm. 3. Sampling for physicochemical variables, chlorophyll a (chl‐a), zooplankton and per cent plant volume inhabited (PVI%) by macrophytes was conducted weekly during the first 5 weeks, and subsequently biweekly. Macrophytes were harvested on the last sampling date. During the course of the experiment, the water level decreased by 0.41 ± 0.06 m. 4. Throughout the experiment, fish affected zooplankton abundance (?), nutrient concentrations (+), chl‐a (+) and water clarity (?) most strongly in the low‐water‐level mesocosms and the zooplankton community shifted towards dominance of small‐sized forms. The fishless mesocosms had a higher zooplankton/phytoplankton ratio, suggesting higher grazing. 5. Greatest macrophyte growth was observed in the low‐water‐level fishless mesocosms. However, despite high nutrient concentrations and low water clarity, macrophytes were also abundant in the fish mesocosms and particularly increased following a water‐level decrease from midsummer onwards. Macrophyte growth was poor in the high‐water‐level mesocosms, even in the fishless ones with high water clarity. This was ascribed to extensive periphyton development reducing light availability for the macrophytes. 6. Our results indicate that a reduction in water level during summer may help maintain the growth of macrophytes in Mediterranean eutrophic shallow lakes, despite a strong negative effect of fish predation on water clarity. It is therefore probable that an expected negative effect of global climate change on water clarity because of eutrophication and enhanced top‐down control of fish may be, at least partly, counteracted by reduced water level, provided that physical disturbance is not severe.     

Nifedipine loaded chitosan microspheres prepared by emulsification phase-separation

A high yield of nifedipine-chitosan microspheres could be obtained using an emulsification phase-separation method. A high level of entrapment of nifedipine in the microspheres was achieved. The microspheres exhibited excellent swelling properties. Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractometry, and scanning electron microscopy confirmed that at 1.84% loading, nifedipine was dispersed molecularly. The microspheres exhibited faster release at low loadings compared to high loadings. Fitting the data to the coupled Fickian/case II equation, showed that at low loadings polymer relaxation coefficients (k₂) were high. As the polymer content increased in the microspheres, the value of n (diffusional exponent characteristic of the release mechanism) approached one, which is indicative of zero order.     

Real time in vitro studies of doxorubicin release from PHEMA nanoparticles

Background  

Many anticancer agents have poor water solubility and therefore the development of novel delivery systems for such molecules has received significant attention. Nanocarriers show great potential in delivering therapeutic agents into the targeted organs or cells and have recently emerged as a promising approach to cancer treatments. The aim of this study was to prepare and use poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) nanoparticles for the controlled release of the anticancer drug doxorubicin.     

Feeding behaviour of the ladybeetle,Pseudoscymnus kurohime

A laboratory study was made of the feeding behaviour of the ladybeetlePseudoscymnus kurohime (Miyatake) when attacking the sugar cane woolly aphidCeratovacuna lanigera Zehntner. The 1st-instar ladybeetle larva was smaller than the 1st instar aphid nymph. All larval stages of the ladybeetle sucked out the body fluids of aphids and left their emptied corpses. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd instar ladybeetle larvae mostly attacked 1st instar aphids, whereas the 4th-instar ladybeetle larvae attacked all stages of aphids. Ladybeetle adults ate mostly 1st-instar aphids. Young larvae attacked aphids in several different ways: (1) They crawled under an aphid, seized it by its underside and lifted it up. (2) They attacked new born nymphs at birth or shortly afterwards. (3) They fed on an aphid that had been captured by an older larva. The larvae preferred to seize with their mandibles the head or thorax of an aphid, while adults seized their prey by the abdomen. When attacked by an adult, 82% of the aphids secreted droplets from their abdominal cornicles, whereas only 7.2–12% secreted droplets when attacked by larvae. The 4th instar larvae more voracious than the younger larvae.