Effect of chronic fluoxetine treatment on audiogenic epilepsy,symptoms of anxiety and depression in rats of four lines

Anxiety (Anx) and depression (Dp) levels were evaluated in rats of 4 lines: 2 of them (KM and “4”) exhibited audiogenic seizures (AS), and 2 (Wistar and “0”) had no AS. In KM rats (with AS), Anx and Dp levels were higher than in Wistars (without AS), while in “4” and “0” rats with the related genetic background but contrasting in AS severity, Anx and Dp indices were not different. Fluoxetine treatment exerted antidepressant effect in all rat lines irrespective of its effect on AS. Thus, phenotypic expression of AS is not directly associated with the mechanisms of Anx and Dp development.     

A synopsis of gall midges associated with conifers,with description of a new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kaltenbachiola</Emphasis> Hedicke (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae: Lasiopterinae) from Yakutia,damaging cones of the Siberian spruce (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea obovata</Emphasis>)

The world fauna comprises 134 species from 52 genera of gall midges associated with plants of the order Pinales (3 families, 16 genera and 74 species); 14 genera are specific to Pinales. The distribution of genera and species of gall midges over host plant taxa is described. The Holarctic genus Kaltenbachiola comprises four species all developing in the spruce (Picea spp.) cones. Earlier, K. strobi (Winnertz), widely distributed in Europe, was the only species known in the Palaearctic. A new species Kaltenbachiola anastasiae sp. n. is described, which damages cones of Picea obovata in Central Yakutia. The phylogenetic relationships of Kaltenbachiola with close genera specific to Pinales are characterized, and an updated diagnosis of the genus with additional morphometric parameters and keys to the pine-specific genera of the tribe Dasineurini and to species of the genus Kaltenbachiola are given. The host associations and specific traits of biology and distribution of Kaltenbachiola species are considered.     

Classification of the gall midge tribe Aphidoletini (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae: Aphidoletidi) with descriptions of a new genus and a new species from the Kurile Islands

A new classification is proposed for the gall-midge tribe Aphidoletini including 4 subtribes, 10 genera, and 18 species: Aphidoletina—3 genera with 7 species (Aphidoletes, Tribremia, Ligulodiplosis), Monobremiina subtrib. n.—2 genera with 5 species (Monobremia, Shikotanodiplosis gen. n.), Aculeatodiplosina subtrib. n.—2 genera with 2 species (Aculeatodiplosis, Setodiplosis), and Triommatomyiina—3 genera with 4 species (Triommatomyia, Tingidoletes, Chanchudiplosis). New subtribes and a new genus with a new species are described. Shikotanodiplosis sundukovi gen. et sp. n. differs from Monobremia in a wide and curved aedeagus, basally swollen sclerotized hypoproct, and small basal lobes of the gonocoxites. Keys to the subtribes, genera, and species of Aphidoletini are given. The diagnoses of Aculeatodiplosis fasciata Fedotova et Sidorenko, 2005, Setodiplosis unifaria Fedotova, 2006, and Triommatomyia Mamaev, 1961 are supplemented with biometrical characters. Tribremia aphidophaga Marikovskij, 1956 is resurrected from synonyms of Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani, 1847).     

New gall midges of the tribe Leptosynini (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) from the Late Eocene ambers and the classification of the supertribe Heteropezidi

Three new genera and 27 new species of gall midges are described from the Late Eocene ambers: Henria baltica sp. nov., Frirenia manca sp. nov., F. musicata sp. nov., Leptosyna samlandica sp. nov., L. fastosa sp. nov. from Baltic amber and H. xystica sp. nov., H. liquida sp. nov., Stellasegna vlaskini gen. et sp. nov., S. vaporea sp. nov., S. nexa sp. nov., Rasnitsia verticosa gen. et sp. nov., F. rohdendorfi sp. nov., F. schevchenkoi sp. nov., F. melica sp. nov., F. lukashevichae sp. nov., F. leporidis sp. nov., F. marmarygma sp. nov., F. vesana sp. nov., Vincinescia alisae gen. et sp. nov., L. margarita sp. nov., L. munifera sp. nov., L. sukachevae sp. nov., L. assa sp. nov., L. larga sp. nov., L. vegeta sp. nov., L. vaticina sp. nov., and L. shcherbakovi sp. nov. from Rovno amber. Strobliella capitata Fedotova is redescribed as Henria capitata (Fedotova, 2004) (comb. nov.). Diagnoses of Henria (= Electroxylomyia Nel et Prokop, syn. nov.), Frirenia, and Leptosyna are revised. As a result, Henria comprises 3 extant and 5 extinct (Late Eocene) species, including H. eocenica (Nel et Prokop), comb. nov. (= Electroxylomyia eocenica), Frirenia comprises 1 extant and 10 Late Eocene species, and Leptosyna comprises 3 extant and 11 Late Eocene species. The tribe Heteropezini is elevated to the supertribal rank (Heteropezidi) and included in the subfamily Lasiopterinae. Leptosynini is treated as a separate tribe, and Lasiopterinae is considered as part of Cecidomyiidae s. str. (i.e., excluding Lestremiidae). Keys to the tribes and genera of Heteropezidi and to species of Henria, Stellasegna, Frirenia, and Leptosyna are provided. The gall midge faunas of the Rovno and Baltic ambers are compared. Phylogenetic relationships within the supertribe are hypothesized.     

Hippocampal activity with twofold theta-frequency

Results obtained by the author and literature data concerning a peak of the power spectrum of hippocampal theta activity of a rat in the range of twofold theta frequency (12-20 Hz) are analyzed. The results of author's research of the signal corresponding to the second frequency group of spectrum (a twofold theta-frequency harmonic with adjoining frequency components) suggests the existence of a high-frequency component in the hippocampal theta activity regulated independently of the main theta wave. An attempt to coordinate the obtained results with the contemporary ideas about the structure of the hippocampal EEG and to explain the results of some works that does not correspond to these ideas is made. Some hypotheses about the origin and regulation of the high-frequency component of the theta activity are proposed. A particular role of the high-frequency component in different modes of activation of hippocampus is demonstrated.     

AmylPepPred: Amyloidogenic Peptide Prediction tool

We present an efficient computational architecture designed using supervised machine learning model to predict amyloid fibril forming protein segments, named AmylPepPred. The proposed prediction model is based on bio-physio-chemical properties of primary sequences and auto-correlation function of their amino acid indices. AmylPepPred provides a user friendly web interface for the researchers to easily observe the fibril forming and non-fibril forming hexmers in a given protein sequence. We expect that this stratagem will be highly encouraging in discovering fibril forming regions in proteins thereby benefit in finding therapeutic agents that specifically aim these sequences for the inhibition and cure of amyloid illnesses.

Availability

AmylPepPred is available freely for academic use at www.zoommicro.in/amylpeppred     

Characterization of depression-like behavior in prenatally stressed female rats during ovary cycle

The aim of the present work was a comparative analysis of dynamics of depression-like behavior in prenatally stressed and non-prenatally stressed female rats in the key phases of the ovary cycle. It was found that non-stressed female rats demonstrated high level of depression-like behavior in proestrous phase as compared to the diestrous phase, whereas these rats showed low level of depression-like behavior in estrous phase in Porsolt's test. On the contrary, there were no significant differences in extent of depression-like behavior between prenatally stressed rats in the diestrous and proestrous, although in the phase of estrous in these animals an increase in level of depression-like behavior was noted. Thus, the results of this study indicated pronounced effects of prenatal stress on the character of depression-like behavior of females in different phases of ovary cycle. This study revealed leveling and reversed action of prenatal stress on depression-like behavior in key phases of sexual cycle in female rats.     

Electrophysiological brain activity during the control of a motor imagery-based brain–computer interface

This article considers the features of five electroencephalogram patterns that are most frequently extracted by the independent component analysis when subjects imagine the movement of their hands during the control of a brain–computer interface (BCI). The solution of the EEG inverse problem using the individual geometrical head model shows that the sources of the revealed patterns are located at the bottom of the left and right central sulci, as well as in the left premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, and precuneus. The functional value of the patterns is discussed by comparing the location results with the results of the metaanalysis of the published data that were obtained using a functional magnetic resonance imaging. The source locations are the same for seven healthy subjects and four poststroke patients with subcortical damage location. However, despite the same locations, the two groups of subjects significantly differed in the frequency characteristics of the revealed patterns; in particular, the patients had no clearly pronounced activity in the upper α-band and were characterized by a much lower level of inhibition of rates in the primary somatosensory areas during motor imagery.