The approximate entropy of the electromyographic signals of tremor correlates with the osmotic fragility of human erythrocytes

Background  

The main problem of tremor is the damage caused to the quality of the life of patients, especially those at more advanced ages. There is not a consensus yet about the origins of this disorder, but it can be examined in the correlations between the biological signs of aging and the tremor characteristics.     

Comparative neuroanatomy suggests repeated reduction of neuroarchitectural complexity in Annelida

Background

Paired mushroom bodies, an unpaired central complex, and bilaterally arranged clusters of olfactory glomeruli are among the most distinctive components of arthropod neuroarchitecture. Mushroom body neuropils, unpaired midline neuropils, and olfactory glomeruli also occur in the brains of some polychaete annelids, showing varying degrees of morphological similarity to their arthropod counterparts. Attempts to elucidate the evolutionary origin of these neuropils and to deduce an ancestral ground pattern of annelid cerebral complexity are impeded by the incomplete knowledge of annelid phylogeny and by a lack of comparative neuroanatomical data for this group. The present account aims to provide new morphological data for a broad range of annelid taxa in order to trace the occurrence and variability of higher brain centers in segmented worms.

Results

Immunohistochemically stained preparations provide comparative neuroanatomical data for representatives from 22 annelid species. The most prominent neuropil structures to be encountered in the annelid brain are the paired mushroom bodies that occur in a number of polychaete taxa. Mushroom bodies can in some cases be demonstrated to be closely associated with clusters of spheroid neuropils reminiscent of arthropod olfactory glomeruli. Less distinctive subcompartments of the annelid brain are unpaired midline neuropils that bear a remote resemblance to similar components in the arthropod brain. The occurrence of higher brain centers such as mushroom bodies, olfactory glomeruli, and unpaired midline neuropils seems to be restricted to errant polychaetes.

Conclusions

The implications of an assumed homology between annelid and arthropod mushroom bodies are discussed in light of the 'new animal phylogeny'. It is concluded that the apparent homology of mushroom bodies in distantly related groups has to be interpreted as a plesiomorphy, pointing towards a considerably complex neuroarchitecture inherited from the last common ancestor, Urbilateria. Within the annelid radiation, the lack of mushroom bodies in certain groups is explained by widespread secondary reductions owing to selective pressures unfavorable for the differentiation of elaborate brains. Evolutionary pathways of mushroom body neuropils in errant polychaetes remain enigmatic.     

The effect of Rhizobium inoculation and nitrogen fertiliser on nitrogen fixation and seed yield of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

The potential benefit to be derived from seed inoculation of Phaseolus vulgaris beans with effective strains of Rhizobium phaseoli, was investigated in field experiments over three years on a site low in soil nitrogen and lacking indigenous effective strains of R. phaseoli. Inoculation with R. phaseoli (strain RCR 3644) produced significant increases in nodulation, nitrogenase activity and plant growth in all experiments. In trials in 1978 and 1979, with cv. Seafarer, inoculation, in the absence of nitrogen fertiliser doubled seed yields. In 1978, the seed yields from inoculated beans without nitrogen fertiliser (1–6 t/ha) were not significantly different from those obtained with uninoculated beans receiving the optimum nitrogen fertiliser treatment of 120 kg N/ha (1–75 t/ha). In 1979, with lower rainfall favouring more efficient utilisation of nitrogen fertiliser, inoculation gave seed yields (1–88 t/ha) equivalent to those obtained with 60 kg N/ha (1–70 t/ha) but significantly less than with 120 kg N/ha (2–88 t/ha). More precise estimates from nitrogen response curves showed that inoculation supplied the fertiliser equivalent of 105 and 70 kg N/ha in 1978 and 1979 respectively. In both years, significant benefits were also obtained by the combination of inoculation and nitrogen fertiliser. In a separate experiment in 1979, with four R. phaseoli strains inoculated onto eight bean cultivars, three were highly effective nitrogen fixers on all cultivars. Two strains (RCR 3644 and NVRS 963A) each increased mean yields, in the absence of nitrogen fertiliser, from 1–39 t/ha uninoculated to c. 2–5 t/ha inoculated whilst strain RCR 3622 was outstanding with a mean yield of 3-0 t/ha. An analysis of the nitrogen content of seed showed that gains from nitrogen fixation were 37–57 kg N/ha/growing cycle for the combination RCR 3644 with cv. Seafarer. However, 106 kg N/ha/growing cycle was recorded for the combination RCR 3622 and cv. Aurora.     

The species of Hymenoptera described by Linnaeus in the genera Sphex, Chrysis, Vespa, Apis and Mutilla

Data are presented on the type-material representing the species described by Linnaeus in his genera Sphex, Chrysis, Vespa, Apis and Mutilla , The names here considered total 158; six are currently applied in the Hymenoptera Parasitica. Of the balance of 147, three are emendations and five are unavailable homonyms or names proposed in the synonymy of other species. Fifteen Linnaean names are here placed as synonyms. One name is attributed to an author other than Linnaeus, and live names remain species incertae sedis. The remainder, 118, are applied as valid names in die Hymenoptera Aculeata. Holotype specimens in London, Uppsala or Stockholm represent 60 names; 55 names are based on lectotype specimens of which 49 are here designated, two by other authors. One name is represented by a neotype specimen in Lund, and one by a lectotype figure. One non-aculeate species is based on syntypes. Specimens appear to be lost with respect to 25 names; three specimens in Uppsala may be the holotypes of a further three species.
Eight new combinations are made, and twelve new synonyms established; three further new combinations and three further new synonymies are suggested. A systematically arranged summary of species treated and of nomenclatural changes made is given. Nomenclatural changes affecting non-Linnaean names are included where relevant; lectotypes are designated for two non-Linnaean species.     

Effects of Oenothera biennis L. and Hypericum perforatum L. extracts on some central nervous system myelin proteins,brain histopathology and oxidative stress in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

We investigated the effects of Oenothera biennis L. and Hypericum perforatum L. extracts on brain tissue histopathology, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), myelin basic protein (MBP), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Forty-seven C57BL/6J mice were divided into the following groups: multiple sclerosis (MS), control (healthy mice), MS + H. perforatum treated (MS + HP), MS + O. biennis treated (MS + OB). All groups except the control group were immunized by EAE methods. Two weeks after the immunization, the mice in the MS + HP group were fed normal food containing 18 ? 21 g/kg H. perforatum extract, the mice in MS + OB group were fed normal food containing 18 ? 21 g/kg O. biennis extract, and the mice in control and MS groups were fed normal food for six weeks. Brain tissue samples were collected from all mice for histopathological and biochemical analysis. Clinical signs of the disease were scored using functional systems scores (FSS) daily. The H. perforatum and O. biennis extracts ameliorated the increased brain tissue MOG and MBP values for animals with MS. H. perforatum and O. biennis extract decreased the TOS and OSI values for brain tissue and increased TAS levels in brain tissue of animals with MS. In addition, H. perforatum and O. biennis extracts decreased the clinical signs at the end of the experiment compared to the beginning of extract administration. We found that myelin was lost in MS group vs. control group. H. perforatum and O. biennis extract treatments decreased the amount of myelin loss in the MS + HP and MS + OB groups. We also observed amyloid deposition on vascular walls, in the cytoplasm of the neurons and in the intercellular space in the MS group. O. biennis and H. perforatum treated groups exhibited neither abnormal amyloid deposition nor obvious cell infiltration. The beneficial effects of O. biennis and H. perforatum for attenuating myelin loss and amyloid deposition suggest their therapeutic utility for treatment of MS.     

Reproductive biology of the rare and endangered Banksia brownii Baxter ex R. Br. (Proteaceae)

Abstract Banksia brownii is an endangered species, now limited to ～ 15 disjunct populations in southwestern Western Australia. Data on flowering phenology, plant size, fruit set, pollination and the mating system were gathered for two of these populations between March and October 1993. Flowering for both populations followed a similar pattern, with open flowers first evident in April, and the number of inflorescences with open flowers peaking in June. At both locations, trees differed considerably with respect to their size, the total number of inflorescences produced and the length of their flowering season. Fruiting success was typically low, with approximately half of all inflorescences failing to develop into infructescences. Only 1. 8% of the flowers originally present on inflorescences developed into follicles. The distribution of follicles along each infructescence was non-random, with most forming in the middle third of the infructescence for reasons relating to nutrient supply and pollinator behaviour. More flowers opened during the day than at night, although pollen was lost from individual flowers during both periods. Honeyeaters such as Phylidonyris novaehollandiae were common at the two study sites, and often carried large loads of B. brownii pollen. Though less frequently caught, the nocturnal mammals Rattus fuscipes and Tarsipes rostratus also bore substantial amounts of pollen. Most inflorescences from which these mammals and birds were excluded remained barren. Fruiting success was further reduced when invertebrates such as Apis mellifera were also prevented from visiting inflorescences. The ability of B. brownii to set at least some fruit in the absence of biotic poli-nators indicates that the species is partially self-compatible. Honeyeaters foraged preferentially at inflorescences with one to two thirds of their flowers open, probing mainly along the ‘advancing front’ of open flowers. These animals moved more frequently between inflorescences on the same plant than between those on different plants, and were often recaptured in the same locations. Mammals also appeared to be sedentary. Both B. brownii populations had mixed mating systems, with genetically determined outcrossing rates of ～0.7. The unusually high level of selfing in each population is presumably a reflection of the species’ self-compatibility and the foraging behaviour of its pollinators.