Birth Origin Differentially Affects Depressive-Like Behaviours: Are Captive-Born Cynomolgus Monkeys More Vulnerable to Depression than Their Wild-Born Counterparts?

Background

Adverse early-life experience might lead to the expression of abnormal behaviours in animals and the predisposition to psychiatric disorder (e.g. major depressive disorder) in Humans. Common breeding processes employ weaning and housing conditions different from what happens in the wild.

Methods

The present study, therefore, investigated whether birth origin impacts the possible existence of spontaneous atypical/abnormal behaviours displayed by 40 captive-born and 40 wild-born socially-housed cynomolgus macaques in farming conditions using an unbiased ethological scan-sampling analysis followed by multifactorial correspondence and hierarchical clustering analyses.

Results

We identified 10 distinct profiles (groups A to J) that significantly differed on several behaviours, body postures, body orientations, distances between individuals and locations in the cage. Data suggest that 4 captive-born and 1 wild-born animals (groups G and J) present depressive-like symptoms, unnatural early life events thereby increasing the risk of developing pathological symptoms. General differences were also highlighted between the captive- and wild-born populations, implying the expression of differential coping mechanisms in response to the same captive environment.

Conclusions

Birth origin thus impacts the development of atypical ethologically-defined behavioural profiles, reminiscent of certain depressive-like symptoms. The use of unbiased behavioural observations might allow the identification of animal models of human mental/behavioural disorders and their most appropriate control groups.     

Herbal medicine use in the districts of Nakapiripirit, Pallisa, Kanungu, and Mukono in Uganda

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Traditional medicine (TM) occupies a special place in the management of diseases in Uganda. Not with standing the many people relying on TM, indigenous knowledge (IK) related to TM is getting steadily eroded. To slow down this loss it is necessary to document and conserve as much of the knowledge as possible. This study was conducted to document the IK relevant to traditional medicine in the districts of Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Kanungu and Pallisa, in Uganda. METHODS: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted between October 2008 and February 2009 using techniques of key informant interviews and household interviews. RESULTS: The common diseases and conditions in the four districts include malaria, cough, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, flu, backache and eye diseases. Respondents stated that when they fall sick they self medicate using plant medicines or consult western-trained medicine practitioners. Self medication using herbal medicines was reported mostly by respondents of Nakapiripirit and Mukono. Respondents have knowledge to treat 78 ailments using herbal medicines. 44 species, mentioned by three or more respondents have been prioritized. The most frequently used part in herbal medicines is the leaf, followed by the stem and root. People sometime use animal parts, soil, salt and water from a grass roof, in traditional medicines. Herbal medicines are stored for short periods of time in bottles. The knowledge to treat ailments is acquired from parents and grandparents. Respondents' age and tribe appears to have a significant influence on knowledge of herbal medicine, while gender does not. CONCLUSION: This survey has indicated that IK associated with TM stills exists and that TM is still important in Uganda because many people use it as a first line of health care when they fall sick. Age and tribe influence the level of IK associated with herbal medicine, but gender does not.     

In situ fluorescent nick translation procedure for plant chromosomes

Pectinase and cellulase, which are used to macerate plant material, always show traces of DNase activities that result in DNA nicking. Moreover, the DNA polymerase I usually applied in the in situ nick translation techniques shows both 5' to 3' and 3' to 5' exonuclease activities. As a result, significant nonspecific labeling appears in control preparations that are not digested by a restriction endonuclease. Our procedure includes blocking nonspecific nick labeling before incubation with restriction enzymes (HpaII and HaeIII). This is achieved by incorporation of ddGTP into DNA by the Taq polymerase which lacks 3' to 5' exonuclease activity. This method gives satisfactory results because it eliminates nonspecific nick translation signals that are present after applying the methods described for animal material.     

赤红壤早稻田甲烷排放通量及其影响因素

用封闭箱法对广东省赤红壤早稻田CH4排放通量进行了观测。结果表明,CH4排放有明显的季节变化规律,3个排放高峰分别出现在水稻分蘖末期、孕穗抽穗期和乳熟期,平均通量为5.7mg.m-2.h-1。在测定期内,CH4排放与5和10cm土壤温度呈显著正相关,与土壤Eh呈显著负相关,与土壤pH值、水层深浅相关不明显。     

Intestinal barrier function in response to abundant or depleted mucosal glutathione in Salmonella-infected rats

Background  

Glutathione, the main antioxidant of intestinal epithelial cells, is suggested to play an important role in gut barrier function and prevention of inflammation-related oxidative damage as induced by acute bacterial infection. Most studies on intestinal glutathione focus on oxidative stress reduction without considering functional disease outcome. Our aim was to determine whether depletion or maintenance of intestinal glutathione changes susceptibility of rats to Salmonella infection and associated inflammation.     

A Dutch guideline for the treatment of scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders

Background

Children with neuromuscular disorders with a progressive muscle weakness such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Spinal Muscular Atrophy frequently develop a progressive scoliosis. A severe scoliosis compromises respiratory function and makes sitting more difficult. Spinal surgery is considered the primary treatment option for correcting severe scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders. Surgery in this population requires a multidisciplinary approach, careful planning, dedicated surgical procedures, and specialized after care.

Methods

The guideline is based on scientific evidence and expert opinions. A multidisciplinary working group representing experts from all relevant specialties performed the research. A literature search was conducted to collect scientific evidence in answer to specific questions posed by the working group. Literature was classified according to the level of evidence.

Results

For most aspects of the treatment scientific evidence is scarce and only low level cohort studies were found. Nevertheless, a high degree of consensus was reached about the management of patients with scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders. This was translated into a set of recommendations, which are now officially accepted as a general guideline in the Netherlands.

Conclusion

In order to optimize the treatment for scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders a Dutch guideline has been composed. This evidence-based, multidisciplinary guideline addresses conservative treatment, the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care of scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders.     

Construction and Characterization of a Magnaporthe grisea Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Library

Diaz-Perez, S. V., Crouch, V. W., and Orbach, M. J. 1996. Construction and characterization of a Magnaporthe grisea bacterial artificial chromosome library. Fungal Genet. Biol. 20, 280-288. A bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of Magnaporthe grisea containing 4128 clones with an average insert size of 66-kb has been constructed. This library represents seven genome equivalents of M. grisea and has been demonstrated to be representative of the genome by screening for the presence of several single-copy genes and DNA markers. The utility of the library for use in map-based cloning projects was shown by the spanning of a nine-cosmid, 207-kb DNA contig with only 3 BAC clones. In addition, using a lys1-3 auxotroph, we have shown that BAC clones at least 113 kb can be transformed into M. grisea to screen for complementation of mutations. Thus, BACs isolated in chromosome walks can be rapidly screened for the presence of the sought after gene. The ease of construction of BAC libraries and of isolation and manipulation of BAC clones makes the BAC system an ideal one for physical analyses of fungal genomes.     

Treatment-associated polymorphisms in protease are significantly associated with higher viral load and lower CD4 count in newly diagnosed drug-naive HIV-1 infected patients

Background

Bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST-2) is a cellular factor that restricts the egress of viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) from the surface of infected cells, preventing infection of new cells. BST-2 is variably expressed in most cell types, and its expression is enhanced by cytokines such as type I interferon alpha (IFN-??). In this present study, we used the beta-retrovirus, mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) as a model to examine the role of mouse BST-2 in host infection in vivo.

Results

By using RNA interference, we show that loss of BST-2 enhances MMTV replication in cultured mammary tumor cells and in vivo. In cultured cells, BST-2 inhibits virus accumulation in the culture medium, and co-localizes at the cell surface with virus structural proteins. Furthermore, both scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM) show that MMTV accumulates on the surface of IFN??-stimulated cells.

Conclusions

Our data provide evidence that BST-2 restricts MMTV release from naturally infected cells and that BST-2 is an antiviral factor in vivo.