Association of genetic variants rs641153 (CFB), rs2230199 (C3), and rs1410996 (CFH) with age-related macular degeneration in a Brazilian population

This study aimed to investigate the association among genetic variants of the complement pathway CFB R32Q (rs641153), C3 R102G (rs2230199), and CFH (rs1410996) with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a sample of the Brazilian population. In a case-control study, 484 AMD patients were classified according to the clinical age-related maculopathy grading system (CARMS) and compared to 479 unrelated controls. The genetic variants rs1410996 of complement H (CFH), rs641153 of complement factor B (CFB), and rs2230199 of complement 3 (C3) were evaluated through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing. The associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and AMD, adjusted by age, were assessed by using logistic regression models. A statistically significant association was observed between AMD risk and rs2230199 variant with an OR of 2.01 (P  = 0.0002) for CG individuals compared to CC individuals. Regarding the comparison of advanced AMD versus the control group, the OR was 2.12 (P = 0.0036) for GG versus AA genotypes for rs1410996 variant. Similarly, the OR for rs2230199 polymorphism was 2.3034 (P  = 5.47^e-05) when comparing CG individuals to CC carriers. In contrast, the rs641153 variant showed a significant protective effect against advanced AMD for GA versus GG genotype (OR = 0.4406; P  = 0.0019). When comparing wet AMD versus controls, a significant association was detected for rs1410996 variant (OR = 2.16; P  = 0.0039) comparing carriers of the homozygous GG versus AA genotype, as well as in the comparisons of GG (OR = 3.0713; P  = 0.0046) and CG genotypes (OR = 2.2249; P  = 0.0002) versus CC genotype for rs2230199 variant, respectively. The rs641153 variant granted a significant protective effect against wet AMD for GA versus GG genotypes (OR = 0.4601; P  = 0.0044). Our study confirmed the risk association between rs2230199 and rs1410996 variants and AMD, and the protective role against AMD for rs641153 variant.     

Ecological tracers reveal resource convergence among prey fish species in a large lake ecosystem

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Cue-Recruitment for Extrinsic Signals after Training with Low Information Stimuli

Cue-recruitment occurs when a previously ineffective signal comes to affect the perceptual appearance of a target object, in a manner similar to the trusted cues with which the signal was put into correlation during training [1], [2]. Jain, Fuller and Backus [3] reported that extrinsic signals, those not carried by the target object itself, were not recruited even after extensive training. However, recent studies have shown that training using weakened trusted cues can facilitate recruitment of intrinsic signals [4]–[7]. The current study was designed to examine whether extrinsic signals can be recruited by putting them in correlation with weakened trusted cues. Specifically, we tested whether an extrinsic visual signal, the rotary motion direction of an annulus of random dots, and an extrinsic auditory signal, direction of an auditory pitch glide, can be recruited as cues for the rotation direction of a Necker cube. We found learning, albeit weak, for visual but not for auditory signals. These results extend the generality of the cue-recruitment phenomenon to an extrinsic signal and provide further evidence that the visual system learns to use new signals most quickly when other, long-trusted cues are unavailable or unreliable.     

Thymidylate synthase expression in patients with colorectal carcinoma using a polyclonal thymidylate synthase antibody in comparison to the TS 106 monoclonal antibody.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common human cancers, for which 5-fluorouracil (5FU) is usually part of the treatment. Thymidylate synthase (TS), the target enzyme for 5FU, can be predictive for the outcome of 5FU-based therapy. TS levels in tumor samples can be determined with radiochemical enzyme assays, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemical staining. We validated TS immunohistochemistry with a polyclonal rabbit anti-human TS antibody using the avidin-biotin method. This antibody can be used on paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed material using an antigen retrieval method with citrate buffer and microwave treatment. The antibody shows a granular cytosolic staining pattern. The reproducibility in cross-sections from colorectal tumors from 50 patients was 90% and the interobserver variability was acceptable with a kappa of 0.45. On Western blotting it detects purified TS at 36 kD, while in 5FU-treated cells the ternary complex between FdUMP, TS, and 5, 10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate is clearly visible at 38 kD, with no other interfering bands. In a separate set of tumors, immunostaining was compared with enzyme levels; Western blots correlated with enzyme levels. Because both this polyclonal antibody and the monoclonal antibody TS-106 are being used for large-scale studies, we also determined whether they could be used interchangeably. No differences were observed. This polyclonal antibody is specific and gives reproducible results. A study on a larger scale is ongoing to determine the role of TS as a predictive parameter in patients with colorectal cancer treated either with postoperative adjuvant 5FU/levamisole or with surgery only.     

Stereoscopic Offset Makes Objects Easier to Recognize

Binocular vision is obviously useful for depth perception, but it might also enhance other components of visual processing, such as image segmentation. We used naturalistic images to determine whether giving an object a stereoscopic offset of 15-120 arcmin of crossed disparity relative to its background would make the object easier to recognize in briefly presented (33-133 ms), temporally masked displays. Disparity had a beneficial effect across a wide range of disparities and display durations. Most of this benefit occurred whether or not the stereoscopic contour agreed with the object’s luminance contour. We attribute this benefit to an orienting of spatial attention that selected the object and its local background for enhanced 2D pattern processing. At longer display durations, contour agreement provided an additional benefit, and a separate experiment using random-dot stimuli confirmed that stereoscopic contours plausibly contributed to recognition at the longer display durations in our experiment. We conclude that in real-world situations binocular vision confers an advantage not only for depth perception, but also for recognizing objects from their luminance patterns and bounding contours.     

The Brachial Plexus of the Sumatran Rhino (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dicerorhinus sumatrensis</Emphasis>) and Application of Brachial Plexus Anatomy Toward Mammal Phylogeny

The peripheral nervous system is a promising resource for testing phylogeny although the branching patterns of peripheral nerves are not well documented outside of Homo sapiens. Here we describe the brachial plexus of the rare Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). We compare its brachial plexus to that of another perissodactyl (Equus asinus), an artiodactyl (Odocoileus virginianus), two carnivorans (Felis catus and Neovison vison), and one primate (Homo sapiens) and examine the phylogenetic structure of the resulting data. Brachial plexuses exhibit high rates of intraspecific polymorphism, but polymorphisms cannot be recognized from one specimen. To address concerns of error due to polymorphism, we dissected 52 mink brachial plexuses and compared them to human brachial plexus variation. Both species have numerous types of brachial plexus polymorphisms. Although most individual polymorphisms occur infrequently and unilaterally, because there are numerous types of polymorphisms, most humans and mink exhibit at least one polymorphism per brachial plexus. Parsimony analysis of 15 characters compiled from the brachial plexus data produced a tree that positions Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla as sister taxa, a result consistent with other analyses. Despite a high rate of polymorphism, the peripheral nervous system seems to carry a phylogenetic signal consistent with other morphological data. With a higher rate of taxon sampling, we suggest the brachial plexus will contribute valuable data for phylogenetic testing.     

Clearance of exogenous carnitine in bovine semen: Potential diagnosis of epididymal function and patency of the ductus deferens

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Characterization of digestive proteolytic activity in Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae)

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight, is a pest that causes considerable economic losses to vegetables, cotton, canola, and alfalfa. Detailed knowledge of its digestive physiology will provide new opportunities for a sustainable pest management approach to control this insect. Little is known about the different protease class contributions to the overall digestion of a specific protein. To this end, the proteolytic activities in female adult L. hesperus salivary gland and midgut homogenates were quantified over a range of pH's and time points, and the contribution of different classes of proteases to the degradation of FITC-casein was determined. In the salivary gland, serine proteases were the predominant class responsible for caseinolytic activity, with the rate of activity increasing with increasing pH. In contrast, both aspartic and serine proteases contributed to caseinolytic activity in the midgut. Aspartic protease activity predominated at pH 5.0 and occurred immediately after incubation, whereas serine protease activity predominated at pH 7.5 after a 9h delay and was resistant to aprotinin. The salivary serine proteases were distinctly different from midgut serine proteases, based on the tissue-specific differential susceptibility to aprotinin and differing pH optima. Collectively, the caseinolytic activities complement one another, expanding the location and pH range over which digestion can occur.