Establishment of global patterns of planar polarity during growth of the Drosophila wing epithelium

Epithelial tissues develop planar polarity that is reflected in the global alignment of hairs and cilia with respect to the tissue axes. The planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins form asymmetric and polarized domains across epithelial junctions that are aligned locally between cells and orient these external structures. Although feedback mechanisms can polarize PCP proteins intracellularly and locally align polarity between cells, how global PCP patterns are specified is not understood. It has been proposed that the graded distribution of a biasing factor could guide long-range PCP. However, we recently identified epithelial morphogenesis as a mechanism that can reorganize global PCP patterns; in the Drosophila pupal wing, oriented cell divisions and rearrangements reorient PCP from a margin-oriented pattern to one that points distally. Here, we use quantitative image analysis to study how PCP patterns first emerge in the wing. PCP appears during larval growth and is spatially oriented through the activities of three organizer regions that control disc growth and patterning. Flattening morphogen gradients emanating from these regions does not reduce intracellular polarity but distorts growth and alters specific features of the PCP pattern. Thus, PCP may be guided by morphogenesis rather than morphogen gradients.     

Repeated trans-watershed hybridization among haplochromine cichlids (Cichlidae) was triggered by Neogene landscape evolution

The megadiverse haplochromine cichlid radiations of the East African lakes, famous examples of explosive speciation and adaptive radiation, are according to recent studies, introgressed by different riverine lineages. This study is based on the first comprehensive mitochondrial and nuclear DNA dataset from extensive sampling of riverine haplochromine cichlids. It includes species from the lower River Congo and Angolan (River Kwanza) drainages. Reconstruction of phylogenetic hypotheses revealed the paradox of clearly discordant phylogenetic signals. Closely related mtDNA haplotypes are distributed thousands of kilometres apart and across major African watersheds, whereas some neighbouring species carry drastically divergent mtDNA haplotypes. At shallow and deep phylogenetic layers, strong signals of hybridization are attributed to the complex Late Miocene/Early Pliocene palaeohistory of African rivers. Hybridization of multiple lineages across changing watersheds shaped each of the major haplochromine radiations in lakes Tanganyika, Victoria, Malawi and the Kalahari Palaeolakes, as well as a miniature species flock in the Congo basin (River Fwa). On the basis of our results, introgression occurred not only on a spatially restricted scale, but massively over almost the whole range of the haplochromine distribution. This provides an alternative view on the origin and exceptional high diversity of this enigmatic vertebrate group.     

Pilot study: potential transcription markers for adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in whole blood

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioural disorder that affects not only children and adolescents but also adults; however, diagnosis of adult ADHD is difficult because patients seem to have reduced externalized behaviour. ADHD is a multifactorial disorder in which many genes, all with small effects, are thought to cause the disorder in the presence of unfavourable environmental conditions. Therefore, in this pilot study, we explored the expression profile of a list of previously established candidate genes in peripheral blood samples from adult ADHD subjects (n = 108) and compared these results with those of healthy controls (n = 35). We demonstrate that combining the gene expression levels of dopamine transporter (SLC6A3), dopamine D5 receptor, tryptophan hydroxylase-1, and SNAP25 as predictors in a regression model resulted in sensitivity and specificity of over 80 % (ROC: max R(2) = 0.587, AUC = 0.917, P < 0.001, 95 % CI: 0.900-0.985). In conclusion, the combination of these four genes could represent a potential method for estimating risk and could be of diagnostic value for ADHD. Nevertheless, further investigation in a larger independent population including different subtypes of ADHD (inattentive, hyperactive, or combined type) patients is required to obtain more specific sets of biomarkers for each subtype as well as to differentiate between child, adolescent, and adulthood forms.     

Solid-state NMR sequential assignments of α-synuclein

Parkinson’s disease is amongst the most frequent and most devastating neurodegenerative diseases. It is tightly associated with the assembly of proteins into high-molecular weight protein species, which propagate between neurons in the central nervous system. The principal protein involved in this process is α-synuclein which is a structural component of the Lewy bodies observed in diseased brain. We here present the solid-state NMR sequential assignments of a new fibrillar form of this protein, the first one with a well-ordered and rigid N-terminal part.     

Will vaccinated women attend cervical screening? A population based survey of human papillomavirus vaccination and cervical screening among young women in Victoria,Australia

Objectives: To assess human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage and attitudes to vaccination and Pap screening in young women. Design: Population-based telephone survey. Setting: Victoria, Australia. Participants: 234 women resident in Victoria aged 18–28 years in May 2009. Main outcome measures: Self-reported HPV vaccination uptake, reasons for non-receipt or failure to complete vaccination, knowledge and attitudes about HPV vaccination and Pap screening, and cervical screening intentions. Results: The response rate for eligible households was 62.4%. Half of the women (56%, n = 131) had previously had a Pap test and 74% (age standardised estimate) had received HPV vaccine. Of the vaccinated women, 5% had received one dose only, 18% two doses and 76% had completed the course (1.7% unsure of number of doses). Vaccination uptake was highest in the youngest women (declining from 90% for at least one dose in women aged 18–38.5% in women aged 28; p for trend <0.001). Among women who had heard of the vaccine, 96% knew Pap tests were still needed after it, although 20% thought the vaccine could prevent all cervical cancers and 9% thought the vaccine could treat cervical abnormalities and cancer. Among vaccinated women, 8% of women agreed that having been vaccinated made them less likely to have Pap tests in the future. Conclusions: Self-reported coverage in this sample was higher than that recorded on the national vaccination register. Young women report the message that Pap tests are required after vaccination, but there are gaps in their knowledge about the limitations of the vaccine so it remains to be seen if they actually follow through with having Pap tests. Ongoing monitoring of cervical screening rates will be important as this cohort ages.     

Systematic review of effective strategies for reducing screen time among young children

Screen-media use among young children is highly prevalent, disproportionately high among children from lower-income families and racial/ethnic minorities, and may have adverse effects on obesity risk. Few systematic reviews have examined early intervention strategies to limit TV or total screen time; none have examined strategies to discourage parents from putting TVs in their children's bedrooms or remove TVs if they are already there. In order to identify strategies to reduce TV viewing or total screen time among children <12 years of age, we conducted a systematic review of seven electronic databases to June 2011, using the terms "intervention" and "television," "media," or "screen time." Peer-reviewed intervention studies that reported frequencies of TV viewing or screen-media use in children under age 12 were eligible for inclusion. We identified 144 studies; 47 met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-nine achieved significant reductions in TV viewing or screen-media use. Studies utilizing electronic TV monitoring devices, contingent feedback systems, and clinic-based counseling were most effective. While studies have reduced screen-media use in children, there are several research gaps, including a relative paucity of studies targeting young children (n = 13) or minorities (n = 14), limited long-term (>6 month) follow-up data (n = 5), and few (n = 4) targeting removing TVs from children's bedrooms. Attention to these issues may help increase the effectiveness of existing strategies for screen time reduction and extend them to different populations.     

Impaired insulin sensitivity and elevated ectopic fat in healthy obese vs. nonobese prepubertal children

Insulin sensitivity is impaired and ectopic fat (accretion of lipids outside of typical adipose tissue depots) increased in obese adults and adolescents. It is unknown how early in life this occurs; thus, it is important to evaluate young children to identify potential factors leading to the development of metabolic syndrome. We examined an ethnically diverse cohort of healthy, exclusively prepubertal children (N = 123; F = 57, M = 66; age 8.04 ± 0.77 years) to examine differences in insulin sensitivity and ectopic and visceral fat deposition between obese and nonobese youth. Obesity was categorized by age- and sex-adjusted BMI z-scores (nonobese = z-score <2 (N = 94) and obese = z-score ≥2 (N = 29)). Insulin sensitivity was assessed by both a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (S(i)) and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)). Intramyocellular lipids (IMCLs) from soleus and intrahepatic lipids (IHLs) were assessed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) by magnetic resonance imaging, and total body fat by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We also examined serum lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and blood pressure (diastolic and systolic). Obese children exhibited significantly lower S(i) (5.9 ± 5.98 vs. 13.43 ± 8.18 (mμ/l)(-1)·min(-1), P = 0.01) and HDL-C and higher HOMA(IR) (1.68 ± 1.49 vs. 0.63 ± 0.47, P < 0.0001), IMCL (0.74 ± 0.39 vs. 0.44 ± 0.21% water peak, P < 0.0001), IHL (1.49 ± 1.13 vs. 0.54 ± 0.42% water peak, P < 0.0001), VAT (20.16 ± 8.01 vs. 10.62 ± 5.44 cm(2), P < 0.0001), total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure relative to nonobese children. These results confirm significantly increased ectopic fat and insulin resistance in healthy obese vs. nonobese children prior to puberty. Excessive adiposity during early development appears concomitant with precursors of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.